eBay's new rules for electronic and electrical products may result in store closures for violators

eBay UK announced last week that when selling some categories of energy-related products, eBay sellers are required by law to comply with some labeling requirements including the description of the energy efficiency category and the classification range of the energy efficiency category. Sellers can complete this operation by filling in the product details "Energy efficiency class" and "EEK range".

Under EU consumer protection law, commercial sellers who sell goods to consumers over the internet must provide their customers with information about their goods, contact details and other details that may be important to the transaction.

The EU's regulation of electrical appliances has been going on for a long time. Energy labels were first introduced in 1994 for a variety of household appliances and expanded in 2004. According to data from Special Eurobarometer 492, in 2019, energy labels were recognized by 93% of consumers, and 79% of consumers considered it identifiable when purchasing energy-saving products.

At the same time, as more and more energy-saving products have been developed in recent years, the difference between A++ and A+++ is less obvious to consumers. Therefore, the EU energy label categories will gradually be adjusted to a simpler A to G model. Products showing A+++ energy efficiency rating may become B or lower after the adjustment.

According to the official EU website, five product categories will be "re-adjusted" in 2021: refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, TVs and table lamps. Refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and TVs will be re-adjusted from March 1, 2021, while lamps will be re-adjusted from September 1, 2021. Other product categories with EU energy labels will be introduced in the next few years.

eBay requires sellers of electronic and electrical products to provide product label information, including televisions, household refrigerators, household washing machines and household dryers, household dishwashers, lighting equipment, household ovens, indoor air conditioners, range hoods and water heaters.

In addition to being obliged to provide information on the energy efficiency rating of their products and equipment, sellers of electronic and electrical products on eBay must also present product data sheets that indicate additional energy-related information. Sellers must also ensure that the electronic label and product data sheet and energy-related information of the product can be found on the product page. If sellers do not comply with these regulations, they are likely to receive warning letters and high-value claims from competitors and some consumer protection agencies, and sometimes even go to court, resulting in lawsuits and penalties. eBay is also likely to remove these products from the shelves or even close down the stores of sellers who do not comply with the regulations.

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