Selling Toys Online on Shopify in India, BIS Rules First

Toys are one of the few categories where an Indian founder cannot simply design a product, list it and start selling. Since 2021, toys sold in India need BIS certification and the ISI mark, and that rule applies to your own Shopify store just as much as to a marketplace. This guide explains what the Toys Quality Control Order requires, who is exempt, what your product pages should show, how imported toys fit in, and how to set the store up so compliance information is never missing.

Legal details are from the Toys (Quality Control) Order 2020 on bis.gov.in, the BIS product manual for toys, Press Information Bureau releases from DPIIT and the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 in the Gazette of India. Shopify details are from the Shopify Help Centre. All checked on 9 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own case with BIS or a compliance consultant before you launch.

Do toys sold online in India need BIS certification?

Yes. The Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 says toys "shall conform to the corresponding Indian Standard(s)" and "shall bear the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau as per Scheme-I of Schedule-II of BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018". The Standard Mark is what most people call the ISI mark.

A PIB release from February 2024 confirms the Order was issued on 25 February 2020 and brought toys under compulsory BIS certification with effect from 1 January 2021. The Order itself originally named 1 September 2020, and the date was later extended, so 1 January 2021 is the date that applied.

BIS puts the consequence plainly in its own explainer on toy standards: no person is permitted to "manufacture, import, sell or distribute, store, hire, lease or exhibit for sale toys that do not conform to the Indian Standard and do not bear the 'ISI' mark." Listing a toy on your Shopify store is offering it for sale. There is no separate, lighter rule for D2C websites.

The Order has one built-in exclusion: "nothing in this order shall apply to goods or articles meant for export." If you only sell overseas, the position is different, but most founders reading this sell to Indian customers.

What counts as a toy under the Order?

The definition is broad. The Order applies to any "product or material designed or clearly intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age or any other product as notified by the Central Government from time to time."

Two words in that definition matter most for founders: "whether or not exclusively". A product does not escape the Order just because adults might also use it. If it is designed or clearly intended for play by children under 14, treat it as a toy until BIS or a consultant tells you otherwise. Borderline products such as craft kits, children's stationery with play features, decorative items that look like toys, and baby products should be checked before you build listings around them.

The Order also says it applies to toys "as they are initially received by the children" and after "reasonably foreseeable conditions of normal use and abuse". In practice that means the standard looks at how a child will actually handle the product, not just how it looks in a photo.

Which Indian Standards apply to toys?

The Order lists seven standards. Which ones your product is tested against depends on what it is made of and how it works.

The Order adds that "the latest version of Indian Standards including the amendments issued thereof, as notified by the Bureau from time to time, shall apply". So the edition your lab tests against must be the current one, not whatever was current when a supplier last got tested. The BIS product manual for toys, for example, already lists IS 9873 (Part 1) as the 2019 edition while the 2020 Order names the 2018 edition.

Who is exempt from the toys BIS rule?

Very few sellers. The exemptions came through the Toys (Quality Control) Second Amendment Order, 2020. A PIB release dated 12 December 2020 says it exempts "goods manufactured & sold by artisans registered with Development Commissioner (Handicrafts)" from using the Standard Mark under licence, and also exempts products registered as Geographical Indications. The Gazette wording quoted in that release covers goods "manufactured and sold by Registered proprietor and Authorised user of a product registered as Geographical Indication".

Read the conditions carefully, because they are narrower than founders often assume:

• The artisan exemption is for goods "manufactured and sold" by registered artisans. A brand that buys handmade toys from artisans and resells them under its own name is not the artisan. Do not assume the exemption carries over to you. Ask BIS or a consultant about your exact arrangement.
• The GI exemption is for registered proprietors and authorised users of a product registered as a Geographical Indication. Calling a toy "traditional" or naming a region in the title does not make you an authorised user.
• Micro units got relief on testing, not on certification. The 2024 PIB release says BIS made provisions on 17 December 2020 to license micro scale toy units without an in-house testing facility, a relaxation later extended to three years. That relaxation was about how micro manufacturers get a licence, not a way to sell without one. Check with BIS whether it is still in force for your application.

If you are a registered artisan or GI authorised user selling directly, keep proof of that registration ready and say so on your About page and product pages. If a customer or a payment partner asks why there is no ISI mark, you need a documented answer.

What if you import toys or use a contract manufacturer?

The licence follows the factory, not the brand on the box. The BIS standard mark page explains that the licence number "helps in identifying the unit which has manufactured the product at a specific location." So if a contract manufacturer in India makes your toys, the licence has to cover that unit and the models you sell. Ask your manufacturer for their CM/L licence number and check that your exact models are inside the licence scope. The BIS product manual notes that "the Scope of Licence shall be restricted based on the manufacturing and testing capabilities of the manufacturer", so a licence for some models does not automatically cover new ones.

For imports, the February 2024 PIB release says the QCO "is applicable to both domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India." The same release notes two other import facts founders should know before placing a first order:

• A DGFT notification dated 2 December 2019 "mandated sample testing of each consignment and no permission for sale unless the quality testing is successful." A failed consignment "is either sent back or destroyed at the cost of the importer."
• Basic Customs Duty on toys under HS code 9503 was raised from 20% to 60% in February 2020 and to 70% in March 2023.

Those two points change the economics of a toy import business. Before you design a Shopify store around imported stock, confirm that your overseas factory holds a BIS licence for the exact models, and work the duty into your pricing with your CA or customs broker.

What should a toy product page show on your Shopify store?

Three sets of rules overlap here: the BIS marking rules, the Legal Metrology rules for packaged goods, and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules for your website.

BIS marking. The BIS product manual for toys says the Standard Mark must be on "either on the primary packaging or on the toy itself", and that each package must also carry the BIS licence number "CM/L" and the line "For details of BIS certification please visit www.bis.gov.in". It also says warnings and instructions must be provided "as per the provisions of the Indian Standard". The rules are about the physical product, but showing the same information online helps a shopper trust you before they buy. We recommend that as good practice, not as a separate legal requirement.

Legal Metrology. A PIB release on the 2017 amendment to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, in force from 1 January 2018, says goods displayed on e-commerce platforms "shall contain declarations required under the Rules like name & Address of the manufacturer, packer and importer, name of the commodity, net content, retail sale price, consumer care complaint, dimention etc." Toys sold in packages fall under these rules like any packaged commodity.

E-Commerce Rules. If you sell your own stock on your own website, you are an "inventory e-commerce entity" under the 2020 Rules. Rule 7(1) requires you to display "all mandatory notices and information required by applicable laws" along with return, refund, warranty and grievance information. Rule 7(3) adds that your marketing must be "consistent with the actual characteristics" of the product, which matters if your photos or copy suggest an age range or safety claim the product has not been tested for.

A practical product page checklist for a toy brand:

Do not write your own age warnings from scratch. The wording and age bands come from the standard and your test report. Copy what the tested pack says, word for word.

How do you set this up in Shopify so nothing is missed?

Use product metafields rather than typing compliance details into each description. A metafield is a structured field such as "BIS licence number" or "Starting age" that you fill once per product and display in the same place on every product page. Our guide to metafields and metaobjects explains how they work.

A sensible setup for a toy store:

1. Create product metafields for licence number, Indian Standard, starting age, warnings, manufacturer or importer, and country of origin.
2. Make the fields part of your launch process. Build a check into your listing routine, or have a developer add a theme check that hides the add to cart button when the licence field is empty.
3. Show the fields in a fixed block on the product template, so every product shows the same information in the same place.
4. Use age as a filter. Shopify's Search and Discovery app can create storefront filters from product metafields, so parents can filter by starting age. Shopify's help page says filters work on "any compatible theme", so check yours supports them.
5. Photograph the pack, not just the toy. A clear photo of the ISI mark and licence number on the box answers the trust question before a parent asks it.

Parents can verify a licence themselves. BIS says its BIS Care app lets anyone "fetch details of licensee based on CM/L No." That works in your favour if your details are correct and against you if they are not, so check every licence number before it goes live.

How should toy brands handle returns, COD and marketplaces?

Toys bring their own operational problems. Gifting peaks around festivals and birthdays, so delivery promises matter more than usual, and a damaged pack can make a toy unsellable even if the toy itself is fine. Write your return policy around those cases: what happens with opened packs, missing parts and products that arrive damaged. Rule 7(4) of the E-Commerce Rules says an inventory e-commerce entity cannot refuse returns or refunds for goods that are "defective, deficient spurious" or not as advertised. Our returns and exchanges guide covers how to set this up in Shopify.

If you also plan to sell on Amazon or Flipkart, the same BIS rule applies there, and marketplaces may ask for your licence details before listing. Keep your own website as the place where your full product information lives. Our post on selling on marketplaces without losing your brand explains how to run both channels.

Finally, get your GST setup right before launch, with the correct HSN codes on every product. The GST setup guide for Shopify walks through it. Ask your CA for the current GST rate on your specific toys, since rates differ by product and have changed over time.

What should you have ready before your toy store goes live?

Before you remove the password page, make sure you can answer yes to each of these:

• Every product you list is covered by a valid BIS licence for that exact model, or you hold documented artisan or GI exemption.
• You have the test report and know which Indian Standards each product was tested against.
• Age grading and warnings on your product pages match the tested pack word for word.
• Legal Metrology declarations appear on the product page, not just on the box.
• Imported stock has cleared consignment testing and duty has been worked into your price.
• Your return, refund and grievance details are published and easy to find.

None of this is optional for a toy brand, and none of it is difficult once the store is built to hold the information properly.

Planning a toy brand on Shopify?

Free toy store compliance review. Get in touch or email hello@exactwhy.com with the subject "Toy Store Review" and your store URL or launch plan. Tell us what you sell, who manufactures it and whether it is imported. We reply within 4 hours with a list of the product page and store setup gaps we see, and the questions to take to BIS or your compliance consultant.

If you go ahead. We build your Shopify store with compliance fields for licence numbers, standards, age grading, warnings and Legal Metrology declarations, an age filter for parents, checks that stop incomplete products going live, and Indian payment, COD and shipping setup ready for festive demand.