Commitment to Product Safety

Product safety is not only essential for running a successful business but also for maintaining trust with your customers. Offering high-quality products is important, but it's equally critical that these items meet safety standards and reach customers in perfect condition.
In this article, we'll cover best practices for ensuring product safety, including proper labeling, secure packaging, and proactive safety checks. We'll also highlight common safety mistakes to avoid to help you build a safer shopping experience for all.

Top Tips for Product Safety

Ensure that your products follow all TikTok Shop policies, including category-specific guidelines that protect consumer safety and regulate products.

• Comply with Safety & Compliance Regulations: Stay informed about legal requirements and TikTok Shop policies that apply to your listing. Ensure regulatory compliance and refer to Category Qualification Requirements for product-specific compliance.
• Highlight Safety Features: Clearly communicate product details and functionalities to your customers. This includes usage instructions, safety warnings, and any other precautions.
• Monitor Customer Reviews: Regularly review customer feedback to identify potential risks and improve the safety of your products to uphold your shop reputation.
• Pay Attention to Seller Center Updates: Stay up-to-date on all communications from TikTok Shop regarding account health and compliance through Seller Center alerts or notifications.

Plastic Bags & Wrapping

Plastic bags and wrapping materials can present serious suffocation hazards, especially to babies, small children, and pets. Clear labeling and communication about these risks are critical to preventing accidents and ensuring consumer safety.

Best Practices

• Add Clear Warnings: Always include visible, legible suffocation warnings on the packaging and, where appropriate, in the product listing.

For example, "WARNING: Keep plastic bags away from babies and children. Suffocation hazard."

• Minimize Risk Using Plastic-Free Packing Materials: To minimize suffocation risks, consider using safer materials such as cardboard, paper, or biodegradable bags when possible.

What to Avoid

• Avoid Low Quality Packaging: Avoid using damaged or low-quality wrapping that can be easily torn, as these may pose suffocation risks.
• Avoid Improper Wrapping: If wrapping is not securely closed with resealable or permanent seals, it may lead to accidental exposure of dangerous parts to babies, small children, and pets.

Liquids, Pastes, or Powders

Products containing liquids, pastes, or powders must be securely packaged to prevent leaks or spills. Proactive packaging protects both your product and your customers, preventing accidental exposure to harmful substances.

Best Practices

• Conduct Drop and Leak Tests: Conduct thorough tests to ensure packaging is leak-proof and resistant to spills. This applies to products like gels, lotions, scented items, creams, and various liquids. Ensure that packaging is sealed properly to avoid any leakages, skin irritation, or inhalation risks.
• Label Clearly: Include handling instructions to reduce the risk of spills.

For example, "Caution: open with care", "Keep upright", "Do not puncture", "Keep sealed to avoid spills"

What to Avoid

• Don't Skip Checks: Always inspect the seals and closures of products containing liquid, paste, or powder items before packing. Ensure adhesive seals stay in place and are properly secured, especially for liquid or soft packages. Never assume these are secure without checking.

Sharp & Breakable Products

Fragile or sharp items, such as glass, ceramics, or sharp-edged products, require careful attention during packaging to prevent damage or injury. Proper wrapping helps ensure the safety of the product during shipping and handling.

Best Practices

• Properly Label Fragile Items: Mark packages with "Fragile" or "Handle with Care" labels. Be sure to include handling instructions to reduce damage risks during transportation or unboxing, and ensure all handling labels (e.g., "This Side Up") are clear and correctly positioned.
• Use Protective Padding: Ensure sufficient padding, such as bubble wrap, foam, or cardboard inserts, to protect fragile or sharp items during shipping. This applies to items such as cutlery, ceramics, lightbulbs, glassware, and more.

Hot Tip! When packing sharp or fragile items, consider double-wrapping or overboxing (using multiple boxes at a time to increase durability) to provide an additional layer of protection. This extra cushioning helps prevent damage during transportation and minimizes injury risks.

Products with Burn or Fire Risks

Products with burn or fire risks, such as those containing batteries, cables, or flammable materials like alcohol or lithium, require careful handling and testing to ensure safety.

Important! The guidelines in this section should be followed in addition to TikTok Shop policies and applicable laws and regulations for products with burn and fire risks, such as electronics, beauty products, battery-operated accessories, and more. Refer to Category Qualification Requirements for additional details.

Best Practices

• Ensure Proper Labeling: All hazardous materials should be clearly labeled with the necessary fire safety information.
• Use Secure Containers or Packaging: Store flammable liquids in containers with tight seals, and in designated storage areas. If your product contains batteries or heat-sensitive parts, use sealed packaging to protect it from external elements and maintain proper temperature control.
• Inspect Cords & Cables: Regularly check electrical wiring, equipment, and storage areas for potential fire hazards. Products like hair trimmers, flat irons, and chargers must be free of physical damage (e.g., frayed wires) to avoid fire hazards, overheating, or injuries. If a product like a phone charger is not functioning correctly (e.g., charging inconsistently), it is unsuitable for sale on TikTok Shop.
• Check Safety Regulations: Ensure that liquid products are securely sealed to avoid contact with propellants or flammable contents. Aerosol products should be properly secured to prevent accidental activation. Follow all regulatory standards for packaging lithium batteries, including proper insulation, labeling, and containment.

Use Appropriate Warnings on Product Detail Page (PDP)

Sellers are responsible for selecting the appropriate safety attributes for their products during the listing process. These warnings will be automatically applied to the PDP when selected in Products > Manage Products in the Seller Center.
Ensure you apply the appropriate warnings for products that require them, including:

• Choking Hazard
• California Prop 65
• Button Cell and Coin Battery

For Button Cell and Coin Battery, the warning label will be retroactively applied to existing listings where the “Contains Batteries or Cells?” attribute is set to “Cells.”