As the holiday shopping season ramps up, millions of Americans rely on online stores for gifts, household essentials, and last-minute deals. In 2024, American consumers spent approximately $1.34 trillion on online shopping, with projections indicating spending will reach around $1.47 trillion in 2025. But with more consumers relying on e-commerce than ever before–and with sales from third-party sellers skyrocketing–the risks associated with poorly vetted or outright fraudulent goods are becoming harder to ignore.
ANSI spoke with Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), about why these dangers are rising, what recent regulatory actions reveal, and what advocates suggest must be done to ensure that holiday shopping doesn’t come with hidden hazards.
Q: At the Consumer Federation of America, much of your work focuses on the growing risks consumers face when shopping online. Why are counterfeit and unsafe goods such a serious concern today?
A: E-commerce has radically changed how Americans shop, but as online marketplaces have grown, so too have the risks associated with unsafe products. Investigations by consumer organizations and regulators have documented serious product safety issues: toys with choking hazards, electronics that pose fire and electric shock risks, and counterfeit safety equipment like smoke alarms and helmets. These product safety dangers are amplified by the tactics online marketplaces use to encourage people to purchase more products, more quickly—including gamified shopping experiences, high-profile advertising, and constant notifications about “limited” deals to create a sense of urgency.
CFA’s analysis makes clear that sustained action is required to protect Americans from dangerous products. Earlier this year, I co-authored “Unsafe and Online,” a report from the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)—a coalition of leading consumer organizations from the U.S., EU, and UK. This landmark report exposed alarming gaps in product safety enforcement across major online marketplaces. The research confirmed that we are seeing a surge in products that don’t meet safety standards. In the U.S., we found this to be the case in everything from counterfeit bike helmets and smoke alarms to toys and electronics. Many of these products are sold online by third-party sellers, and the products can enter the country with very little scrutiny. The result is that unsafe or fake products are slipping through the cracks of our digital marketplaces, and consumers and their loved ones are the ones put at risk.
Q: In another CFA report, you talked about the number of unilateral safety warnings issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Can you tell us about that?
A: The CPSC has significantly increased the number of unilateral product safety warnings it has issued. At Consumer Federation of America, we support robust enforcement of consumer protection rules, but we also believe that the increase in unilateral product safety warnings may reveal something about the broader product safety ecosystem. The CPSC typically issues unilateral warnings when a product may pose a hazard, but the agency cannot secure a formal recall (for example, when the seller is unresponsive, anonymous, or located overseas). In the TACD report mentioned above, we document specific cases of unsafe products (like smoke/carbon monoxide detectors) sold online, where companies refused to cooperate with CPSC recall efforts. That leaves families with dangerous products and no meaningful remedy.
This trend underscores a larger problem: marketplaces have become central players in today’s retail ecosystem, yet the safety system has not fully caught up. That is why the CPSC’s recent ruling holding Amazon responsible as a “distributor” of certain hazardous third-party products is significant. The decision affirmed that platforms are not just passive intermediaries, and they must share responsibility when unsafe items reach consumers.
The rise in unilateral warnings—combined with the Amazon decision—makes clear that platform accountability is essential. Without it, even a well-resourced CPSC is forced into a reactive posture, trying to chase down dangerous listings one at a time. Strong, proactive obligations on marketplaces, paired with adequate authority and funding for the CPSC, are critical to ensuring consumers are protected in an era dominated by online shopping.
Q: How should online marketplaces be held accountable when unsafe or counterfeit goods appear on their platforms?
A: Marketplaces need to stop relying solely on reactive tools like takedowns. They must implement proactive systems to verify whether sellers are legitimate and whether the products meet U.S. safety standards. Some platforms already use brand-protection programs, but access varies, and many smaller brands or products don’t benefit. Ultimately, the volume of sellers is a business decision marketplaces make. With that decision comes the responsibility to ensure the products they profit from are safe and compliant.
Q: You also advocate for strengthening product safety standards. How do standards fit into the fight against unsafe and counterfeit goods?
A: Standards are the backbone of consumer protection. When products meet recognized safety benchmarks, consumers can trust that basic safety, performance, and quality expectations are being met. Counterfeit products often bypass these standards entirely. That’s why it’s so important that marketplaces incorporate compliance checks into their seller-onboarding and product-listing processes. Standards only work if companies—and online retail platforms—treat them as essential rather than optional.
Q: In your recent work with international consumer groups, you called for stronger global coordination. Why is that important?
A: Unsafe and counterfeit products don’t recognize borders. A seller in one country can reach millions of American consumers with just a few clicks. That’s why we need coordinated oversight, shared data, and stronger cross-border enforcement. Governments and marketplaces must work together to prevent dangerous products from entering the market in the first place rather than reacting once harm occurs. The online marketplace landscape is global; consumer protection has to be global, too.
Q: What should consumers themselves keep in mind when shopping online, especially during high-volume seasons like the holidays?
A: Research the seller, check reviews, and be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true. When you receive a product, inspect it: look for loose parts, poor construction, missing instructions, or anything that feels off. Many unsafe products look legitimate at first glance. A few extra minutes of scrutiny can make a real difference. For more guidance, see the CFA report: Holiday Shoppers Beware.
Q: Finally, how can consumers get involved in the development of standards that mitigate risks of online shopping?
A: Consumers can play an important role by engaging in the standards development process, offering insights on how products are used and perceived. This input helps ensure standards reflect real-world needs and improve safety outcomes. When consumers have adequate opportunity to participate meaningfully, standards development can be democracy in action because it brings together diverse stakeholders to negotiate consensus on shared rules that protect the public. [Learn more about how consumers can support standards development from ANSI.] Shoppers can also prioritize products that meet recognized safety standards—often indicated by a standards label. Beyond individual choices, consumers should urge their elected officials to ensure product safety and consumer protection are upheld and strengthened. Consumers deserve safe products, regardless of where they were purchased.
