Missouri Company Sentenced After Importing Chinese Products with Counterfeit Safety Certifications
The GuildMaster case provides an example of the risks associated with importing from unqualified sources. An overseas manufacturer can claim to have certain safety certifications and could even print those on the item, but without independently verifying that information, an importer runs the risk of those claims being false. If that is the case, the importer will the be the party that feels the full extent of the law when the certifications prove counterfeit. Distributors who go directly to China, and suppliers who are not properly vetting their sources, could find themselves in the same situation GuildMaster now faces.
Kyle A. Richardson is the editorial director of Promo Marketing. He joined the company in 2006 brings more than a decade of publishing, marketing and media experience to the magazine. If you see him, buy him a drink.