Amazon reportedly lists some toys before confirming they're safe
Third-party sellers were asked for safety documentation weeks after their products were listed.
Some toys may appear on Amazon without being vetted for safety. According to a CNBC report, multiple third-party sellers say they were only asked for proof of safety compliance weeks after their products were listed for sale. While the practice might help speed up the listing process, it could also lead to unsafe products being sold on Amazon.
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company requests safety documentation "very shortly" after a product is listed by a third party seller. In an email statement, the company said it regularly contacts selling partners to request safety documentation. Sellers who do not provide the required documentation are removed immediately.
That practice leaves a window in which unsafe toys could potentially be sold to consumers. To make matters worse, Amazon recently came under fire for selling thousands of items that federal agencies had deemed unsafe. After a Wall Street Journal investigation discovered everything from unregistered pesticides to banned toys on the site, three senators wrote a letter asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to launch a "sweeping internal investigation" into the company's safety policies. It's unclear if Amazon has taken any steps since then to improve consumer safety, but now, it will likely be under increased pressure to do so.
