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Comment by manoDev

2 hours ago

Isn't there some kind of law to disallow imports without a CE / RoHS / etc label? Why allow it to enter the EU, and then fine the seller afterwards?

18 comments

manoDev

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MobiusHorizons  2 hours ago

Are you suggesting opening every package to check for a CE? I think fining after the fact is how those laws are enforced.

  • manoDev  1 hour ago

    I see, the issue is those parcels are mailed directly, not from a logistics operation already inside EU borders.

    In my country the government is pushing those companies to have local warehouses. So if items are bulk imported by the marketplace, in theory it should be easier to inspect.

  • GJim  2 hours ago

    > Are you suggesting opening every package to check for a CE?

    In the old days, when an importer purchased Chinese goods in bulk and resold them, import checks were commonplace.... AND the importer was legally responsible for paying import duties and selling goods to the public that were legal and met safety standards.

    Now that any individual can order direct from China (with cheap subsidised postage!), the floodgates of untaxed and dangerous shite are open.

    One solution is to address the subsidised postage that makes this state of affairs possible.

s_dev  2 hours ago

The fine is the application of the law. Would be like getting arrested and demanding to know why the authorities aren't getting involved.

  • MichaelZuo  2 hours ago

    I think the parent is questioning how the fine relates to removing the goods from circulation?

    Or is the intention of the law to allow for an unlimited number of supposedly illegal goods to circulate freely within the EU, just fined appropriately?

TazeTSchnitzel  1 hour ago

With a few exceptions, those labels do not mean that the product has actually been tested or actually complies with the standard. They are a self-certification: CE means “I promise this complies with European norms”, but the entity deciding to print that on a product may not be honest. Small fly-by-night operations on the other side of the planet have little incentive to be honest.

Generally speaking, international direct-to-consumer e-commerce is a problem for trying to enforce these kinds of rules. The whole model of checks at the border works well for massive bulk shipments, which not only are few enough in number that customs have a chance of doing a proper job on them, but there's also a commercial importer taking a large financial risk on the shipment and therefore 1) having an incentive to ensure they import something safe to begin with, 2) they can be practically fined/sued by authorities if they screw up. But when you have myriad tiny operations selling direct to consumers, the consumer is the importer, and there's no local representative for the manufacturer that you can actually sue. It's effectively a quite lawless area. Being able to do direct imports is an important freedom, and this kind of laxity is inevitable, but it's understandable the EU wants to do something about the flood of poor-quality goods that are terrible for fair competition, the environment, and health and safety.

saaaaaam  27 minutes ago

Who says the products don’t have fake CE labels stuck on? A CE label does not - as far as I can tell - have any security features.

lefra  2 hours ago

For electronics without wireless functionality, it is allowed to self-certify. Anyone could also print whatever label they want on their products illegally (i.e. without doing the required paperwork to self-certify).

The policemen controlling imports don't have the competency to check for faults, so we get this situation where specialists regularly sample the products, and heavy fines are issued to the importer.

  • galangalalgol  1 hour ago

    And for electronics with wireless, they still just ignore everything. No FCC ID, don't even have any silkscreening on the pcb or markings on the ICs. Nothing gets enforced.