Despite the Department of Consumer Affairs capping the prices of surgical masks and hand sanitisers under sub-Section 2A and Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, leading online marketplaces Amazon and Flipkart are yet to comply with the guidelines.
A cursory search for 2-ply or 3-ply face masks as well as hand sanitisers on both the marketplaces revealed that various firms are selling these commodities on these platforms at almost 2-10 times the prices fixed by the government.
Under the Central government notification dated March 21, “the retail prices of masks (3-ply surgical masks) shall not be more than the prices prevailing ... as on 12.02.2020 or not more than Rs 10, whichever is lower...” Retail prices of the hand sanitisers shall not be more than Rs 100 per bottle of 200 ml, the prices of other quantities of hand sanitisers shall be fixed in proportion of these prices, it said.
However, consumers have complained that masks available on the e-tailers’ websites were priced between Rs 20 and Rs 80. Both Amazon and Flipkart have priced 200 ml bottled hand sanitisers anywhere in the Rs 200- Rs250 range, double the capped price.When contacted, an Amazon India spokesperson said the company has informed sellers about the new regulations under Essential Commodities Act and the implementation will follow.
“Amazon.in is a pure 3P marketplace where sellers offer their products to customers. We have informed sellers about the notification issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs, requesting them to change prices in compliance of the notification. Taking cognizance of the prime minister’s clarion call for the Janata Curfew on March 22 and the fact that sellers may not have the means to reset the prices on Sunday, we believe sellers may take more time to make changes,” the spokesperson said.
Flipkart said the government order has been communicated to all its sellers and those found violating the guidelines will be delisted from its platform.
“In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, it is very important to make the essential supplies available to customers at right prices. We have immediately communicated the government decision and needed compliance to our sellers with an advice to take necessary actions. We have additionally put in place technology solutions to maintain checks and balances to ensure the same. Should there be an instance where sellers breach these directives, we have provisions in place for delisting as applicable. This gives us confidence in our ability to support and collaborate with governments and other stakeholders as we fight this crisis,” according to Flipkart.
Notably, the Central government has allowed the operations of e-commerce companies to be exempted from the prohibitory orders put in place in various states in the country. The government has told all the nodal officers in states/UTs to allow no disruption of services by the online marketplaces and asked for the issuance of identity cards for their delivery partners.