BIS Toy Compliance Checklist for Online Sellers: What the Toys QCO Requires and What to Keep for Each SKU

If you sell toys online in India, check three things before every listing: the product is covered by the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020, which took effect on 1 January 2021; your supplier holds the BIS certification the order requires; and the listing shows the manufacturer's name and address and the BIS certification number. In February 2026 the CCPA fined Snapdeal ₹5 lakh after finding many toy listings lacked exactly those details. This is general information, not legal advice.

Which toys need BIS certification?

The Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 covers domestic manufacturers and importers, per Storyboard18. The CCPA treats sale of toys without the BIS certification required by that order as a breach.

We did not open the order's gazette text, so this page does not list which toy types are inside or outside it, or the Indian Standard numbers. Two things to do instead of guessing:

1. Read the order and the BIS notification for your product type, or ask your supplier which standard their licence is under.
2. Check the licence on the BIS Care app. BIS lists options to verify licence details and to look up any Indian Standard, the licences issued against it and the labs for it.

Our QCO glossary entry explains how orders work in general.

What do I have to do as a seller, not a manufacturer?

Section 18 of the BIS Act splits the duties:

• The licence holder remains responsible for conformance of the goods that carry the Standard Mark.
• The seller must ensure marked goods are bought from a certified body or licence holder.
• Before sale, the seller must ensure the goods carry the labels and marking details BIS specifies, displayed as BIS specifies.

Section 17(1) bars selling, storing or exhibiting QCO goods without the Standard Mark except under a valid licence, and section 17(2) bars public claims of conformity to an Indian Standard without a valid certificate or licence. So "BIS approved" in a title is a risk if you cannot show the licence.

What did the CCPA find wrong in toy listings?

From the Snapdeal order as reported:

• Many listings lacked the manufacturer's name and address and the mandatory BIS certification numbers.
• The marketplace relied on seller self-declarations without independent verification, which the CCPA called inadequate.

In a separate seller order, the CCPA found the sale of non-BIS toys to be a serious safety risk because toys are meant for children, a defect in goods and an unfair trade practice. LiveLaw reports that some toys in the Flipkart matter were marked "Made in China". Penalty details are in CCPA penalties for non-BIS toys.

Toy compliance checklist

Use this per SKU. The checklist is our practical advice built from the sources above; marketplaces may ask for more.

What if I import toys?

The QCO covers importers, per Storyboard18. We did not confirm the import procedure, the customs steps or whether a foreign factory can be certified for you, so ask a customs broker or BIS before you order. Under the BIS Act, importing QCO goods without the Standard Mark except under a valid licence is barred. Imported does not mean exempt.

What should I ask my toy supplier for?

Send this list before the first order. It is practical advice, not an Amazon, Flipkart or BIS requirement:

• BIS licence or certificate copy showing the toy type, the standard and the licence's validity period.
• The licence number exactly as it appears on the toy and on the pack.
• Manufacturer name and full address, for the listing.
• Batch or lot details, so you can match a purchase invoice to the toys in your stock.
• A written confirmation that every unit in the shipment carries the mark.
• Commitment to tell you if the licence is suspended or expires.

Then verify the licence number on BIS Care yourself. A scanned certificate on its own is not proof; the CCPA called plain self-declaration inadequate for the platform in the Snapdeal order.

What should a compliant toy listing show?

For example, a listing for a wooden building set should carry, in the places your marketplace offers: the manufacturer's name and address, the BIS licence number as printed on the pack, clear images of the pack showing the mark, and no claim beyond what the licence covers. The exact attribute names differ by marketplace, and most compliance fields sit inside the seller portal behind login, so we have not described them. If a field asks for a BIS number, enter the licence number, not a guess or a placeholder. If the marketplace has no field for it, put the details in the images and the description, and keep your records ready.

A listing change does not make a non-compliant toy compliant. Fix the product first, then the listing.

What are the penalties?

Under section 29(3) of the BIS Act, breach of section 17 is punishable with imprisonment up to two years or a fine of at least ₹2 lakh for a first contravention and ₹5 lakh for later ones, up to ten times the value of the goods, or both. The CCPA penalties are separate: ₹5 lakh on Snapdeal in February 2026 and ₹1,000 on a seller in an order dated 23 April 2026.

BIS has also searched marketplace warehouses; see BIS raids on e-commerce warehouses. Toys were among the goods seized in the 2025 searches reported there.

What should I do with toy stock that has no BIS mark?

Stop listing it. Section 17 also covers storing and exhibiting for sale, so do not leave it live or in a warehouse for later sale. Take legal advice on what to do with it, including return to supplier, and on any notice you have received. We did not find an official BIS or marketplace amnesty or sell-off period for non-compliant toy stock.

FAQ

Do toys need a BIS certificate to be sold online? Where the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 applies, yes. The CCPA has treated toys sold without the BIS certification the order requires as a breach. Check your toy type against the order and your supplier's licence.

Can I list toys on Amazon or Flipkart without a BIS number? Not if the toy is under the QCO. The CCPA faulted Snapdeal listings for lacking BIS certification numbers and the manufacturer's name and address. Amazon and Flipkart got notices in February 2026 over such toys.

Who gets fined: the marketplace or the seller? Both have been. The CCPA fined Snapdeal ₹5 lakh and, per LiveLaw, Flipkart ₹5 lakh, and fined a seller ₹1,000 in an April 2026 order. The BIS Act penalties apply separately.

Is BIS certificate the same as an ISI mark? The ISI mark is the Scheme I mark on BIS's compulsory certification page. Which scheme your toy falls under depends on the order for your toy type, which we could not confirm here. Check your supplier's licence.

How do I verify a toy's BIS licence? Use the BIS Care app's licence-details option, then compare the licence's product scope with your toy. We have not tested the app's search for toys specifically.

Can I sell toys without a BIS licence of my own? Section 18 of the Act keeps the licence holder responsible for conformance and tells sellers to buy marked goods from a licence holder. You still carry the duty to ensure the marking and labels are on what you sell, and to keep your documents.

What should I do next?

Audit toy SKUs this week with the checklist above. Blooprint's catalogue and listing optimisation team can fix listing attributes, and our BIS certificate guide covers the wider rules.