Test Reports and Product Certificates on Alibaba: A Complete Guide

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Alibaba suppliers often upload lab test reports and product certificates on their company pages. Some buyers assume that this indicates that the supplier in question is by default “compliant” or “certified” in the sense that they exclusively make products in compliance with safety standards and regulations in the US, EU, and other countries.

However, this is far from the truth – and misunderstanding what test documents mean spells disaster for importers that are less experienced with product compliance. Continue reading Test Reports and Product Certificates on Alibaba: A Complete Guide

ISO 17025 Accreditation for Product Testing Labs: A Complete Guide

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ISO 17025

ISO 17025 is a globally recognized standard aiming at determining the capability of testing and calibration laboratories. It serves the purpose of demonstrating the competency of lab activities, such as providing accurate and timely results.

Using an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory can also help importers and manufacturers to ensure that their products’ testing results are reliable. Also, some marketplaces such as Amazon only accept ISO 17025 accredited labs, for certain product listings.

In this guide, we introduce the scope of ISO 17025, the accreditation process, and list some ISO 17025 accredited laboratories.
Continue reading ISO 17025 Accreditation for Product Testing Labs: A Complete Guide

Plastic Product Regulations and Safety Standards in the European Union

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Plastic Products

Plastics and consumer products made of plastics are subject to chemical restrictions, bans, labeling, and lab testing requirements. In this guide, we explain how REACH, RoHS Directive, and many other regulations apply to plastic materials and consumer products.

Further, we also look into plastic food contact materials regulations, and regulations concerning single-use plastics in the European Union.

Continue reading Plastic Product Regulations and Safety Standards in the European Union

Dropshipping Product Safety and Compliance Risks: An Overview

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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 and Compliance Risks: An Overview

Selling Unsafe and Non-Compliant Products: 7 Potential Outcomes

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Broken cable

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

How to Send Product Samples for Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

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Product sample parcel

Product testing is often required when importing products to the United States, European Union, Australia, Canada, and other countries. However, many importers struggle to understand how and when to submit product samples to the testing company.

In this guide, I explain how this process works and whether you should submit pre-production samples or batch samples or testing. Continue reading How to Send Product Samples for Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

Product Safety Lab Testing Costs: An Overview

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When it comes to product compliance, one of the biggest obstacles facing importers and exports is the cost of lab testing. Third-party lab testing can cost a hundred dollars, or tens of thousands, depending on the number of applicable regulations, required tests, number of products, materials, and colors.

That said, there are ways to keep costs under control, but only if you have a basic understanding of how the lab test costs are structured.

In this article, you will learn how testing companies price their testing services, and what you can do to keep them down to a certain extent. Continue reading Product Safety Lab Testing Costs: An Overview

Safety and Compliance When Selling Private Label (ODM) Products

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Private labeling

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 Safety and Compliance When Selling Private Label (ODM) Products

Fake Product Certificates and Test Reports: An Essential Guide

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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 and Test Reports: An Essential Guide

List of Products Covered by US FDA Regulations

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FDA products

In this article, we list products covered by one or more FDA rules or regulations. FDA regulations cover a wide range of products, including food contact materials, medical devices, sunglasses, supplement and more.

Note: This article also lists some FDA regulations/rules applicable to certain product categories. Notice that the lists are not definitive or kept up to date. Continue reading List of Products Covered by US FDA Regulations