Amazon is responsible for hazardous items sold by third-party sellers, US agency says

A U.S. government agency says Amazon is responsible for hazardous products sold on its platform by third-party sellers and shipped by the company. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that it determined that the e-commerce company is a “distributor” of faulty goods sold on its site. That means the company is on the hook legally for the recalls of more than 400,000 products, including certain hairdryers and carbon monoxide detectors. Amazon didn't immediately reply to a request for comment. The online retailer has fought the “distributor” label since 2021, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission filed an administrative complaint against the company for distributing hazardous items.