In a long, 15-hour operation on March 27, the Delhi branch of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) cracked down on warehouses operated by Amazon and Flipkart, seizing thousands of products that allegedly didn’t meet India’s mandatory quality standards.
The raids were carried out at two locations — Amazon’s warehouse in the Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, and a Flipkart-linked facility run by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd in Trinagar, Delhi.
At the Amazon site, BIS officials reportedly confiscated over 3,500 items including geysers, food mixers, and a range of electrical appliances.
Many of these, according to a statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), were either missing the required ISI certification or were bearing fake ISI marks — something that isn’t permitted under current regulations. The estimated value of these goods? Around ₹70 lakh.
The Flipkart subsidiary wasn’t spared either. Officials say they found nearly 590 pairs of sports shoes that didn’t meet ISI standards. What’s more, these shoes apparently lacked proper manufacturing date details — a basic requirement under the rules. The seized stock is said to be worth around ₹6 lakh.
These raids aren’t isolated. Over the last month, BIS has been stepping up inspections in several cities — Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Lucknow, and even Sriperumbudur have all seen similar crackdowns. The aim, it seems, is to push sellers to stick to the quality norms, especially for products that need mandatory certification.
ISI stands for Indian Standards Institute — and the ISI mark is used to show that a product meets the standards laid out by BIS. There are currently 769 products for which certification is mandatory. That includes everything from pressure cookers and helmets to electrical appliances and shoes.
Without proper certification — or a valid BIS license or Certificate of Compliance (CoC) — sellers aren't allowed to sell, store, import, or even display these products. At least, that’s what the rules say.
No formal statements have been issued yet by Amazon or Flipkart about the raid. It’s not clear whether any legal action will follow or if these were isolated lapses.
BIS, however, seems to be tightening the screws as part of a broader push to ensure consumers get what they pay for — products that are safe and up to standard.
