Category: Compliance Strategy

If you’re reading this article you’re likely a dropshipping seller worried about the prospect of unknowingly selling unsafe and non-compliant products. If you ask me, you have reason to be.

There’s are far more questions than answers when it comes to product safety and compliance when it comes to dropshipping. As such, I wrote this article as a reflection on my experience with both sellers and suppliers in the dropshipping world.

Important: This article is not aimed at any particular dropshipping supplier, online marketplace, or service. This article only raises broad and general issues related to product compliance and dropshipping. Continue reading Dropshipping Product Safety & Compliance Risks: An Overview

Product testing and certification may seem overly expensive and bothersome for some importers. That said, selling unsafe and non-compliant products is not only a severe risk for the consumers in your target market but also something that can massively backfire on your own business.

Keep reading, and learn what can happen if you fail to ensure compliance with all relevant safety standards, certification requirements, and labeling rules. Continue reading Selling Unsafe and Non-Compliant Products: 7 Potential Outcomes

Private label products – also known as Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) products – are based on pre-existing tooling (e.g. injection molds) but carrying the customer’s logo. In recent years, private label products have been especially popular among Amazon sellers and other importers that don’t have the resources or expertise to develop their own products.

Some sellers are also under the impression that private label (ODM) products give them a free pass when it comes to ensuring that the product is fully compliant. This is not the case, as private label products are covered by the same safety standards, labeling, and documentation requirements as other products.

Keep reading, and learn what works and what doesn’t when it comes to product safety and compliance for private label (ODM) products. Continue reading Product Compliance When Selling Private Label (ODM) Products: A Complete Guide

Product compliance can be expensive. Consultants and lab testing services can cost thousands of dollars. As such, suppliers have an incentive to cut corners by either creating or buying fake lab test reports and product certificates – for a fraction of what it would cost to do it the right way.

As I write this, we’re in the midst of an enormous medical supplies gold rush. Suppliers and buyers alike are desperate the capitalize on the only booming industry in existence today.

We do a lot of supplier screenings involving document checks. Never before have I seen so many bogus test reports, “CE certificates” and other deceptive documents. That being said, I’ve dealt with this problem for almost ten years now – so it’s certainly not new. Continue reading Fake Product Certificates & Test Reports

If you’re importing products or selling on Amazon, chances are that you’ll need to provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). In this guide, you will learn what an SDS is, how to get one, and why many suppliers in China and other Asian countries can’t issue one for you.

Continue reading Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Guide For Importers & Amazon Sellers

Far from all manufacturers have the capability to manufacture compliant products. Even fewer suppliers can offer a full set of compliance documents, such as test reports and technical files.

So how do you verify if a supplier has the right compliance documentation, or at least the capability to manufacture compliant products?

Many importers assume that the solution is as simple as asking for a test report, but as I explain in this guide, the reality is far more complex and risky. Continue reading How to Verify if a Supplier Can Make Safe And Compliant Products