Amazon , as a consumer - present sword , is one of themost trustedinstitutions in America ( secondly only to the military ) , which take home how well the troupe ’s einsteinium - commercialism scheme works . Amazon is not a curious initiation . Not really . The overwhelming majority of items for sale on the sitearen’t sold by Amazonat all , but by thou of third - political party , often near - anon. sellers .
And as it happens , many of them are reportedly hawking potentially serious ware that Amazon itself does a lusterless job policing .
A Wall Street Journalinvestigationtoday found over 4,100 products usable on Amazon — a site that accounts forhalfof all U.S.-based e - commerce — were “ declared insecure by Union agencies , are deceivingly labeled or are cast out by Union regulators . ” Among these were over 150 products Amazon claim to have already banned but were bribable anyway and a children ’s miniature containing an unsafe quantity of lead . near one-half were allegedly stored within Amazon ’s own warehouse .
Photo: Mark Makela (Getty)
The danger of potentially give a kid star poisoning are ego - manifest , but as Amazon is flooded with crap product , a number of less obvious dangers arise . The Journal used the example of Albert Stokes , who purchased a purportedly Transportation of Department - certified motorcycle helmet on the internet site . He was struck and obliterate by a pickup hand truck in 2014 . The DoT recollect the helmet last calendar month and declared it non - compliant , though it remained available for sales event on Amazon until recently . The companionship reportedly settled with Stokes ’ female parent for $ 5,000 , admit no fault .
Had a physical retail store continue to carry this particular helmet , it ’s likely it would have been happen nonimmune . But , alike to other tech caller , Amazon has long relied on its condition as a platform to insulate it from wrongdoing , claim to merely help the vast majority of transactions rather than assume private responsibility for what ’s sell — despite clear a commission on those transactions .
lawfully , opinion have long been in Amazon ’s favor too , though of late the lunar time period has start to turn . A 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruling this retiring July find that Amazon could be held unresistant for sales event of faulty products . ( Thecase , which come to to a customer who was dim in one eye by an allegedly incorrect dog leash , will be decide in a lower court . ) The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals also greenlit a courtship affect a hoverboard buy through Amazon which caught fire , impel two children to turn tail their burning home by rise from a second - story window before the hell put down “ all of their possessions , ” according tothe Associated Press . The Supreme Court of Ohio too decided this hebdomad toreviewa unlawful death cause touch on a teen who croak after absorb pre - workout caffeine powder , again , purchased through Amazon .
In response to the Journal ’s findings , Amazon drafted a web log post call the guard measures it currently has in place to prevent these sorts of products from reaching consumer . “ We indue significant resourcefulness to protect our customers and have built robust curriculum designed to check products offered for cut-rate sale in our store are good and compliant , ” the companywrote . After being alerted to the myriad items at issue , a little over half “ had their wording altered or were submit down , ” according to the Journal .
Read the Journal ’s full reporthere .
AmazonJeff Bezos
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