Press Release

April 6, 2021

Media Contact: media@buysafeamerica.org  

Amazon is Fueling the Sale of Unsafe Personal Protective Equipment

Buy Safe America Coalition Urges Lawmakers to Counter Amazon’s Sale of Faulty Masks

The Buy Safe America Coalition, a diverse group of retailers, consumer groups, wholesaler-distributors, and manufacturers that support efforts to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods, today released the following statement on a letter sent from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about the company’s role in selling faulty personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Senator Warren’s letter highlights the growing problem of illicit goods sold on marketplace platforms like Amazon,” said Michael Hanson, Buy Safe America Coalition spokesperson. “The fact that consumers could be duped into purchasing faulty PPE in the midst of a pandemic should be a wake-up call for lawmakers.”

Senator Warren joins a growing list of lawmakers that are concerned with the surge of hazardous products appearing on third-party marketplaces. In March, U.S. Senators Durbin (D-IL) Cassidy (R-LA), Grassley (R-IA), Hirono (D-HI), Coons (D-DE), and Tillis (R-NC) introduced the INFORM Consumers Act, which would help combat the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms.

“Shoppers deserve transparency and should feel safe whether buying an item on a store shelf, a retail website or a marketplace platform. The INFORM Consumers Act would directly address the very issue that Senator Warren has raised. We applaud her attention to this mounting crisis, and hope she joins her colleagues in supporting a common-sense solution,” added Hanson.

Visit BuySafeAmerica.org for more information about the growing problem of stolen and counterfeit goods and solutions to better protect consumers and businesses.

###

The Buy Safe America Coalition represents a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.