New Zealand Worries about Internet Sales

Companies from outside New Zealand, especially those that sell via the internet, need to do a better job of ensuring product safety compliance, according to a recent report from that nation's Commerce Commission. This is especially true of those that use third party platforms.

The agency focused on a New Zealand auction and classifieds website, Trade Me, explaining that the company earlier this year acknowledged to regulators "that 12% of off-shore-based companies failed its vetting programme. These companies could not demonstrate that they could comply adequately with New Zealand consumer law."

The agency added, "Approximately 60% of complaints [were] related to products sold by sellers on Trade Me... Trade Me continues working to prevent this by providing prompts to sellers looking to list goods covered by product safety requirements and links to Commission fact sheets."

However, it worried, "It is likely that non-compliant items are also sold through the increasing number of social media community groups."

The report is available at bit.ly/2dXoYMU.