Last holiday season, the US House of Representatives “Select Committee on the CCP,” asked Amazon to be clearer where its products come from.
There was a deadline of December 15th, but I have yet to see any updates.
Still, I found the requests to be interesting and a good idea. Here’s what the US House committee recommended:
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To address this problem, we recommend that Amazon implement the following changes across its platform:
1. Prominently display “Country of Origin” for every product listing, using a clear and standardized format.
2. Require sellers to report the percentage of U.S.-made components in a product, based on existing federal definitions and guidance.
3. Clearly indicate whether the seller is a U.S.-based company or a foreign entity, including ultimate beneficial ownership when the seller is affiliated with a PRC-based entity.
4. Create user-friendly, filterable search tools that allow customers to view only products made in the United States or to exclude products from specific countries of origin.
5. Apply robust verification mechanisms to ensure sellers do not misrepresent country-of origin information, with a particular emphasis on ensuring PRC products are not misrepresented as originating in third countries.
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The letter to Amazon also says:
These policies would not only strengthen consumer trust and improve marketplace transparency but would also directly advance our shared goal of supporting American manufacturing and allowing U.S. consumers to vote with their dollars.
If Amazon complies with the requests, which in my opinion seems highly doubtful, perhaps other retailers will follow suit.
I believe it’s possible for retailers to disclose country of origin information for most products. It wouldn’t be easy or perfect, as sourcing can change. For example, see Stanley FatMax Tape Measure Deal at Home Depot isn’t USA-Made.
Some US retailers and suppliers do disclose country of origin information, and Home Depot Canada used to do this for a lot of tools. But not Amazon, Lowe’s, Home Depot (USA), Walmart or other major shopping platforms.
So far I haven’t seen any public acknowledgement by Amazon, or disclosure of whether they intend to accommodate or decline the House committee’s recommendations.
It will be interesting to see if anything develops from this.
More Info via US House Committee
Committee Letter to Amazon (PDF)
Jason
As someone who sells on Amazon, I would welcome this change with open arms. I get a decent amount of sales from government agencies being branded a certified small business but I think it would strongly help US sellers competing with companies like “GOUPMERALIBYNTROP” if seller country was listed and filterable.