A U.S. government agency is collaborating with China-based Alibaba to block the sale of banned or recalled goods to U.S. buyers on its online marketplace platforms. Alibaba Group had more than 300 million annual active buyers in 2014, and many U.S. firms purchase goods from Alibaba sellers for resale on other marketplaces.
Under the arrangement with the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Alibaba Group has established a direct line of contact with the agency and has pledged to work swiftly on requests to block sales of illegal and recalled consumer products to U.S. buyers on Alibaba Group platforms.
Product safety information for U.S. importers will also be available on Alibaba Group platforms.
Alibaba has also agreed to create access points on its Business to Business (B2B) platform that would guide U.S. importers to U.S. safety standards for higher risk consumer products.
Chairman Elliot F. Kaye has urged online sites to take greater responsibility for preventing the sale of dangerous, recalled consumer products on or through their sites. He called the new arrangement with Alibaba a “ground-breaking voluntary consumer safety collaboration.”
The CPSC said it also works closely with other online marketplaces to protect the safety of U.S. consumers in the online marketplace.
