Enterprise Singapore’s Market Surveillance Finds 106 Unregistered Household Products Sold Online
Enterprise Singapore’s Market Surveillance Finds 106 Unregistered Household Products Sold Online
MR No.: 016/19
Singapore, Thursday, 2 May 2019
1. Enterprise Singapore found 106 household products classified as Controlled Goods1, which were not registered with the agency, sold by 97 sellers on nine e-commerce platforms in Singapore. The nine platforms were Amazon Prime Now, Carousell, Ebay, Ezbuy, Facebook, Lazada, Qoo10, Redmart and Shopee. These were the findings from market surveillance conducted between December 2018 to February 2019. These unregistered household products have since been removed from sale on the e-commerce platforms (refer to Annex A for a full listing of the unregistered products).
2. From the surveillance of selected products conducted across the nine e-commerce platforms, Enterprise Singapore found that 106 out of 159 household products investigated did not bear valid SAFETY Marks. These products were across seven categories, ranging from kitchen appliances such as rice cookers, juicers, toasters and kettles, to electrical products such as adapters and portable socket outlets, and household products such as fans. Based on the products investigated, Carousell, Ebay, Lazada, Qoo10 and Shopee were found with the highest number of household products without a valid SAFETY Mark.
3. Enterprise Singapore has issued fines or warnings to the sellers of the above-mentioned products. Sellers found guilty of selling unregistered Controlled Goods are liable upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.
4. Consumers who purchased the unregistered Controlled Goods listed in Annex 1 are advised to stop using the product immediately, and seek redress from the supplier with proof of purchase. If consumers are unable to do so, they may approach the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) for assistance at its hotline +65 6100 0315 or www.case.org.sg.
Ensuring safety for consumers
5. In addition to removing the unregistered items immediately upon notification, the nine e-commerce platforms are now working with Enterprise Singapore to make information on the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Regulations (CPSR) and SAFETY Mark available to sellers and consumers (refer to Annex B for details of CPSR). The rise of e-commerce platforms2 reiterates the importance of product safety for online purchases and for consumers to use products that have gone through safety testing, which addresses electrical, mechanical and fire hazards.
6. Shopee has recently included information on requirements of CPSR and importance of SAFETY Mark on its Seller Education Hub. In addition, it requires its sellers of Controlled Goods to display the SAFETY Mark registration number on their product listings. Besides taking down the relevant products, Lazada and RedMart have informed the sellers about the CPSR and SAFETY Mark requirements. Lazada and RedMart engage the government and regulators such as Enterprise Singapore regularly, to ensure products sold on its platform meet specified safety regulations. Enterprise Singapore encourages other e-commerce platforms to do the same.
7. Consumers can also play their part by making safety a key consideration when using these e-commerce platforms. Amazon Prime Now has robust processes to manage consumer feedback about product safety issues. In addition to training customer service staff to handle enquiries about Controlled Goods, and triggering investigations and recalls, the platform also provides in-app help content to educate customers on the SAFETY Mark.
8. Said Mr Sim Choon Siong, Executive Director of Quality and Excellence, Enterprise Singapore, “To obtain the SAFETY Mark on products, suppliers have to first ensure that the product has been type-tested to international safety standards, and then register it with us. This helps consumers choose products that meet safety requirements and are suitable for local use.”
9. He added that while price may be one of the factors for consumers when shopping online, they should also be mindful of safety issues. “We encourage consumers to look out for the SAFETY Mark, ask sellers if the product carries the SAFETY Mark, and search through Enterprise Singapore’s Register of Controlled Goods at cpsa.enterprisesg.gov.sg. Consumers can reach out to us if they come across household products without the SAFETY Mark as they play a critical role in ensuring safety,” said Mr Sim.
10. Consumers can report product safety issues directly to Enterprise Singapore at 1800 773 3163 or consumerprotection@enterprisesg.gov.sg. For the latest list of products that have been recalled in Singapore over safety concerns, visit www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/safety-recalls.
Annex A: List of Unregistered Controlled Goods Found
Annex B: About the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Regulations
Annex C: Infographic on Online Shopping Product Safety Tips
1For full listing of the 33 categories of Controlled Goods under the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Regulations (CPSR), click here.
2The e-commerce market in Singapore is taking off. It is expected to reach US$5 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 18% between 2015 to 2025 (Source: Google and Temasek’s e-Conomy SEA 2018 Report). Furthermore, e-commerce user penetration is expected to hit 73.1% by 2023, up from the 68.6% of 4 million users in 2018 (Source: Statista E-commerce Singapore Data)
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Miss Fazilah Latif
Business Partner
Corporate Communications
DID: +65 6279 3751
Email: fazilah_latif@enterprisesg.gov.sg