E-Comm firms have been asked to comply with the “country of origin” rule by September 30th

E-commerce businesses operating in India have until September 30 to comply with the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) order to mark items with the code “country of origin”. The deadline was extended by a month on August 1 after retailers regretted being given less time to comply with the rules.

E-commerce companies, including Flipkart, had written to the government asking for at least six months to fully comply with the orders. The DPIIT only recently announced the final deadline, but no written communication has been received from e-comm companies LiveMint reports citing unnamed executives who are aware of the discussions.

Experts believe the September 30 deadline also seems impractical because most of the work — about 90 percent — has to be done by sellers. In the current lockdown situation, the task doesn’t seem feasible for old entries, they say.

Country of origin is mandatory for all sellers when listing new products on the Centre’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, a platform used by the Center for Government Procurement. Under the directive, all e-comm companies must indicate the country of origin on all products imported from other countries that are offered for sale.

Even if a product is shipped via another country, the country of origin still remains the country where it was manufactured. The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, announced on July 25, apply to all electronic retailers in India or abroad that offer goods and services to Indian consumers. Breach of the rules will be prosecuted under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

The rules also require businesses to list the “use by” date of goods offered for sale. The move aims to enable the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage.

Ecommerce players are also required to show details of returns, refunds, exchanges, warranties and guarantees, delivery and shipping, and any other information consumers might need to make informed decisions.

They also must not “manipulate” the price of the goods and services offered on their platforms for the purpose of improper profit and discriminate against consumers or engage in arbitrary classification of consumers that affects their rights under the law.

Also Read: New E-Commerce Rules Announced; Country of origin, expiry date mandatory