Device seller demands Amazon Japan step up after 'outrageous' delisting of genuine item
TOKYO -- A medical device sales company whose product was removed from the Amazon Japan website demanded the e-commerce giant to "take responsibility precisely because of its significant influence on the market," following an April 25 ruling by the Tokyo District Court ordering the latter to pay damages.
In August 2021, Takahiro Fujii, 56, then president of the Kobe-based Excel Plan Co., had a gut feeling that an item he saw on Amazon "must be fake." Excel Plan held exclusive rights to sell pulse oximeters manufactured by a firm in Kobe. The device, which measures blood oxygen saturation, was used to monitor the health of coronavirus patients.
While Excel Plan's genuine product was priced at 25,740 yen (about $180), a nearly identical counterfeit version was being sold for only 2,200 yen (around $15). There were many complaints from consumers who received these fake items, saying "the products were made in China."
Despite contacting Tokyo-based Amazon Japan G.K. to request the removal of the counterfeit listing, the situation remained unchanged. Instead, Excel Plan's own product was delisted and disappeared from the site without any explanation.
Sales through Amazon, which had been around 100 million yen (roughly $695,000), plummeted to approximately 610,000 yen (some $4,200) just two months later. "This is outrageous!" Fujii recalled thinking. Refusing to accept the situation, he sought relief through the courts.
The April 25 ruling criticized Amazon for failing to conduct a proper investigation, stating that there was "intent or at least gross negligence," and called on platforms to implement measures against counterfeit goods.
At the April 25 press conference, Fujii stated, "There are many sellers like us who are struggling because counterfeit goods aren't being removed. If fake products stop circulating, it would benefit consumers as well. We hope the company takes this seriously and makes a change."
Takaaki Someya, the attorney representing the plaintiff company, said of the court's decision, "Sellers are compelled to use platforms that many consumers use. The demand for proper operation is highly commendable."
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