Compliance of Amazon 18650 Lithium Battery Products

Recently, many Amazon sellers have reported that some of their products containing 18650 batteries have been removed from the shelves without any prior email notification. According to seller feedback, a large number of listings have been taken down across Canada, the United States, and Europe, with flashlights and headlamps being the most affected. Many sellers of products containing 18650-type batteries have received the following email:

The email states that if the removal is due to safety issues, the products will be directly prohibited from being sold, and no sales applications will be accepted; if it is due to incorrect classification, sellers may provide explanations. In fact, Amazon issued a relevant policy as early as November 2019, which requires that from January 1, 2020, battery manufacturers and distributors must provide lithium battery summaries in accordance with the UN standard un38.3.

Examples of Prohibited Items on Amazon Canada

The following cylindrical lithium-ion battery types are prohibited for sale: 14500, 16340, 18650, 20700, 21700, 26650; and all products containing these battery types, even if the products do not include the batteries.

Examples of Prohibited Items on Amazon US

Products that do not comply with applicable regulations or industry standards, such as: cylindrical lithium-ion battery types: 14500, 16340, 18650, 20700, 21700, 26650; and all products containing these battery types, even if the batteries are not included in the products.

Reasons for the Removal of 18650 Battery Products

① Triggering Factor

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of fires and explosions involving various batteries sold on Amazon, accompanied by a series of lawsuits. As a result, Amazon's policies on lithium batteries have become increasingly stringent.

② Platform Policy

It is clearly stipulated in Amazon's backend policies that cylindrical lithium-ion batteries (models: 14500, 16340, 18650, 20700, 21700 and 26650), as well as all products containing these battery models (even if the batteries are not built into the products), are classified as prohibited items.

③ Root Cause

After conducting safety tests, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) concluded that loose 18650 batteries, which are widely used in power banks, electronic cigarettes, flashlights and toys, pose a fire safety hazard. These 18650 batteries were originally manufactured as industrial battery packs rather than being split and sold to consumers individually. As rechargeable lithium batteries that are part of an integrated battery pack (loose batteries), they present potential dangers during storage, transportation and use. Loose batteries easily expose their positive and negative electrodes, which may short-circuit when in contact with conductors such as keys and coins. A short circuit can cause overheating and thermal runaway, igniting the materials inside the cells and leading to battery fires, explosions and other incidents.

How Should Sellers Appeal Once Their Listings Are Removed?

Some sellers have analyzed that Amazon's FBA dangerous goods review, lithium battery UN38.3 document upload, and product safety review are three independent procedures, and only when all materials are complete can the listings be restored.

The following is a successful solution for the Amazon Canada site:

1. Remove all relevant keywords such as 18650, mAh, lithium battery from the listing links;

2. If any battery models like 18650 are mentioned in the product images, remove the images or replace them with others;

3. Appeal materials:

 (1) English user manual;

 (2) Six-sided product images (PDF format);

 (3) ul1642, ul2054, ul2056 test reports;

 (4) Declaration of Conformity (DOC);

 (5) UN38.3 report and msds report.

JJR LAB reminds sellers whose listings have not been affected yet to conduct self-inspections immediately. If your listing copy contains words such as "18650 battery model", it may also trigger a review. It is recommended to change the copy to "rechargeable battery" and remove the detailed battery images from the product picture set.

Sellers are also advised to prepare relevant UL battery test reports (such as UL1642, UL2054, etc.) in advance, as well as fcc-ID certification, FCC-sdoc, UN38.3 and MSDS for radio products.