Share some tips on CPC certification for toys

Toys have always been a popular category on Amazon. As we all know, the profit of toys is very high. And it has its own peak season, especially in the second half of the year. The demand for gifts during Christmas is unimaginable. If we have foreign customers or friends, we can see their updates every Christmas in WeChat Moments. The strong festive atmosphere shows a variety of toy gift packaging.

It is precisely because of this market demand and high returns that many sellers choose to do toy categories. Today I will share some audits on the toy category, hoping that everyone can learn it without having to spend money to find a service provider.

Section 1: Uncovering the Secrets of Amazon’s Toys Category

Part 1: Toy Category Problem

1. Infringement issues

Trademark infringement: If the title, five lines of details, a word contained in an image, or a logo image in a product listing is registered as a trademark by someone else, then the seller may use it intentionally or unintentionally, which may lead to infringement.

Appearance patent infringement: Appearance patent refers to two products that have 80% similarities. If the other party infringes on the appearance of a product, if it is a very famous appearance, it is easy to know, such as Apple's button settings, which have registered appearance patents.

Invention patent infringement: Infringement like this is actually difficult to judge. It is often discovered only after being reported by someone because the appearance is completely different. However, if the other party has an invention patent, it means that the structure of the product and the operating principle of a certain function have been patented by the other party.

in:

Utility patent, valid for 20 years

Design patent, valid for 15 years

2. Security certification

American toys need certification

① Before putting toys on the shelves in the United States, you generally need to apply for a CPC certificate, and only after passing it can you sell them. ② ASTM-F963-08-Physical and mechanical properties test, flammability test, eight toxic heavy metal tests - Elements: lead (Pb) arsenic (As) antimony (Sb) barium (Ba) cadmium (Cd) chromium (Cr) mercury (Hg) selenium (Se), toys that use paint must be tested. ③ Plastic toys CPSIA, HR4040, phthalates.

European toys require certification

Products exported to Europe are generally required to provide EN71 test reports. Otherwise, if there is a customs inspection, they will take your products for testing themselves, which usually takes about a month to get the results. In that case, you may end up losing both your goods and your money.

Summary of Difficulties:

Infringement issues: Toys are one of the categories with the most frequent infringement incidents on Amazon. They are often eye-catching, and many popular products also carry various infringement risks. Since the time and investment in toy research and development are very high, and the life cycle is long, many toys will have various patents registered;

• Shipping issues: low unit price and large volume. The overall unit price of toys on Amazon is actually relatively low. Consumers are price-sensitive and there is no way to change this. This is the nature of e-commerce. In addition to the price, most toys are relatively bulky. Sellers will definitely not be able to afford air transportation for the first leg, so most toys have to be shipped by sea. The low unit price and logistics methods often put a certain pressure on capital turnover;

• Safety hazards : All parents attach great importance to their children’s safety. Parents in European and American families (especially white people) have very high requirements for toys. If they use the toys themselves, they will throw them away or leave a bad review for the seller at most if they find that the quality is not good. However, if the products used by children cause injuries, suffocation and other problems due to quality problems, parents will even sue Amazon. Your link or even store will be blocked;

• High entry barriers: The certification and packaging requirements for toy products are different in each country, and the fees for various certifications are not low. Before a product is shipped, the miscellaneous certification reports have already cost tens of thousands of yuan. When it arrives at customs, the Americans see that the toys are from China, and the inspection rate is also high. When it arrives at Amazon, the platform will also ask you to issue various reports and statements.

Part 2 Toys Category Advantages

1. Toys are easy to become popular. Toys that are slightly cool are easy to go viral, and almost every year's popular products are related to toys. Products with cool attributes are very easy to promote on social media outside the site, and the cooperation of influencers is relatively high;

2. Sales during the peak season are very impressive. The sales of toys in November and December are basically more than five times the usual sales. Christmas is basically a gift-giving festival for Europeans and Americans. For example, in the United States, many families have 3 to 4 children, so the demand is very stable;

3. The competitive environment is relatively good. You will find that currently, domestic cross-border big sellers are mainly focusing on electronics, home furnishings and outdoor products. Except for a few markets dominated by big sellers (such as drones), many other subcategories are still dominated by European and American sellers. Therefore, there are fewer Chinese sellers, which means less vicious competition.

Section 2: Amazon Toys Category Review

2. Product model or ASIN does not match

Solution: Check the model and ASIN detected in CPC. Each product supplier must have a number. This number should be filled in when listing, and it should be consistent with the one on CPC. If there is a mismatch, you can only modify the background or the content of the CPC certification report.

3. Amazon email prompts that there is or is no product image.

Solution: Check the CPC file. Generally, there will be pictures of the relevant products on the last few pages of the PDF document. If there are pictures, you can email Amazon to find out the specific location of the pictures in the PDF. If not, you can ask the factory to add them, or get the editing rights of the PDF and add them yourself. This method is more troublesome. I directly emailed Amazon and added the attachments of the relevant pictures of the products.

4. The product packaging information is missing, and the supplier's name, address and other information need to be displayed on the packaging

Solution: If the factory packaging is available, just take a photo and submit it. If the factory does not have it, just ask an artist to photoshop the factory information in. It should be noted that the address and information in the photoshop must be consistent with the supplier address you filled in when you put it on the backend, otherwise it may not be approved. This photoshop is relatively simple. It may look fake if you photoshop the text in, but it is indeed useful.

5. Updated CPSIA warning tips

Solution: Edit the product page in the background. There will be a CPSIA prompt below the details edit. Select the warning information according to the specific situation of the product.
 
Another tip is the naming of CPC documents. Try to name them in accordance with the document requirements of the backend. For example, if the first file needs CPSA or ASTM certification, you can name it: XXX+model+CPSA/ASTM. If the second file needs CPC file, you can name it as XXX+model+CPC. Then submit the product image and related images together. This way, the probability of passing the first time will be much higher .