American news-based pay television channel CNN published an article entitled “Fake and dangerous kids’ products are turning up for sale on Amazon” citing a 4 in 1 baby car seat and stroller as a copycat and potentially dangerous for children.
The article wrote that the product listing on the world’s largest eCommerce platform Amazon featured images of a popular brand called Doona, including a photo of US President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, with hers.
It was regarded fake due to its cheap selling price of only $299, making it $200 cheaper than a real Doona.
CNN said that the car seat does not meet the basic standards set by US regulators and it also broke into pieces in a 30mph crash test they have initiated in partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
The broadcast network explained that these efforts are part of their months-long investigation into the sale of counterfeit and patent-infringing children’s products on Amazon which was reported to them by concerned citizens.
“Seven different business owners told CNN their products were being actively targeted by counterfeiters using Amazon’s marketplace for third-party vendors,” stated in the released CNN article.
Research showed that the fake Doonas are traded through Amazon’s website or app, but not by Amazon directly.
When Amazon learned about these, they said that they have immediately contacted the customers who already bought the product. The customers were urged to stop using the product and were offered a full refund.
“We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and have developed industry-leading tools to prevent unsafe or non-compliant products from being listed in our stores,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Various efforts are now being taken by authorities to set a high bar” for the quality of products sold in e-commerce platforms.
