text: Amazon has begun to pull some hoverboards from sale after fears about fires caused by the self-balancing scooters. 
   
   A number of hoverboards that had been sold on Amazon have now disappeared, including all five models once reviewed by consumer affairs site BestReviews. That site now warns would-be buyers that “for the time being, we are not recommending any hoverboards until they are proven to be safe”. 
   
   According to one hoverboard seller, Swagway, the online retailer has required manufacturers to provide documents proving that their vehicles “are compliant with applicable safety standards”, with particular focus on the battery and chargers for the units. 
   
   Like last Christmas’ must-have electronic gift, selfie sticks, most hoverboards are manufactured in bulk in China before being purchased in bulk by resellers who apply cosmetic retouching and branding. Unlike selfie sticks, however, hoverboards contain large batteries, which can be a serious hazard if they misfire. 
   
   Last week, a hoverboard exploded in a shopping mall in Washington state, sending shoppers into panic. Although no one was harmed, the explosion made headlines worldwide. 
   
   In early December, Britain’s trading standards authority warned buyers to beware, and revealed that 88% of the hoverboards imported from outside the EU, that it had tested, had failed basic safety checks. 
   
   At the time, Leon Livermore, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products. Some products that are made abroad, principally for the overseas market, are not fitted with the correct plug and fuse for use in the UK. As a minimum, consumers should check that the three-pin plug on the device states it is made to BS1363. If it doesn’t include this information, then don’t buy the product.” 
   
   Buyers should also make sure they understand the legality of using a hoverboard, which cannot legally be ridden on the pavement or roadway in the UK. 
   
   Despite the name, hoverboards actually roll across the ground on wheels. ||||| Because of the recent controversy regarding hoverboards catching on fire, our top priority was to get to the bottom of the safety issue. 
   
   The few hoverboards that have caught on fire were knockoffs whose battery packs did not pass inspect UL certification (UL is a global independent testing laboratory that tests consumer products for safety). As a result, many carriers including Amazon, banned all models from their shelves until the manufacturers could prove that they went through the proper UL inspection procedures. 
   
   It's important to note that UL does not certify entire products like hoverboards. They certify individual components - like chargers and battery packs - so even those hoverboards which have UL-listed parts are not fully certified as a unit by UL. But because the battery pack and charger are by far the likeliest culprits for a potential fire, it is safe to assume that those products with a UL stickers on them have been deemed safe. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
   
   INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Dec. 11, 2015) – One of the hottest items on holiday toy lists are electric hoverboards. They’re so hot, some are bursting into flames. 
   
   “[We are] investigating at least 10 reports of hoverboard fires in nine states,” said Patty Davis at the Consume Products Safety Commission. Those states are Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Washington. No hoverboard fires have been reported in Indiana. 
   
   The Commission opened an investigation and they say they’re taking it very seriously. 
   
   “This is a high priority investigation by this agency,” said Davis. “We know how popular the product is and we know that consumers are giving the product as a gift during the holidays." 
   
   Friday, a handful of major airlines announced that these hoverboards are on the no-fly list. 
   
   Delta cited their own investigation into product specifications, stating, “This investigation revealed devices often contain battery varieties above the government mandated 160 watt hour limit permitted aboard aircraft.” 
   
   The Commission says its investigation is even broader. 
   
   “CPSC is looking into the safety of the entire product line of hoverboards,” said Davis. “We are working all across the country to move our investigation forward as quickly as possible. 
   
   Another dangerous factor of concern: some hoverboards are being sold are fakes, many times with appealing lower prices. 
   
   “Buy hoverboards from a reputable company where you get a warranty, you don’t want to buy it from a mall kiosk and make sure that it has a certification from a national testing laboratory,” said Davis. 
   
   General safety is a concern for many families considering hoverboards. The Commission cites 29 fall-related injuries, including fractures, sprains, strains and abrasions. ||||| eBay continues to promote hoverboards as sites like Amazon and Overstock.com crack down on the products which are making headlines due to safety concerns. Amazon also has concerns about patent liability, spelling double trouble for merchants who stocked up on the popular products that could now be unsellable on certain marketplaces. 
   
   Amazon sellers noted on December 1st that a fellow merchant was featured in a news report about a hoverboard that caught fire and destroyed a home. WGNO reported on the incident and wrote, "A shipping order provided by the family shows that the hoverboard came from a company called "Fit Turbo" and was ordered on Amazon.com." 
   
   Overstock.com issued a press release on December 9th revealing it was discontinuing the sale of "Hover board self-balancing electric scooters" citing concern for customer safety - it also contacted customers who purchased the items, offering to accept them back for a full refund. 
   
   Sellers say Amazon put restrictions on the accounts of merchants selling hoverboards on December 11th, requiring them to provide it with certain documentation while it holds their accounts in review. And BestReviews noted on December 12th that the five models of hoverboards it had reviewed were no longer available on Amazon's site. 
   
   eBay has not issued a statement regarding hoverboards. eBay CEO Devin Wenig told Wall Street analysts in November that hoverboards were a hot-selling item, and as Fortune noted, eBay reported having sold nearly 7,500 hoverboards on Cyber Monday - one every 12 seconds. 
   
   A search on eBay for "hoverboard" on Sunday evening returned 8,280 listings, while a search on Amazon brought back 49 results. 
   
   EcommerceBytes obtained a copy of the email Amazon sent merchants: 
   
   We are contacting you because you list "hoverboards" (battery powered, self-balancing scooters) on Amazon.com. Amazon approval is now required to sell these products. 
   
   What do I need to do? 
   
   Your hoverboard listings have been removed. If you would like to resume selling hoverboards on Amazon.com, please do the following: 
   
   1) Provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger). 
   
   2) Provide written confirmation that you will indemnify and defend Amazon against any claims of patent infringement, and the contact information of the lawyer that will defend you against any related claims. It has come to our attention that these products are the subject of potential patent litigation by Razor USA LLC in connection with U.S. Patent No. 8,738,278. The terms of your seller agreement require you to indemnify Amazon for any patent infringement claims involving your listings. 
   
   All information should be sent to hoverboard-listing@amazon.com. Please include your seller name, your seller ID number, and a list of ASINs you would like to offer. The safety information you provide should clearly relate to the ASINs you would like to offer. 
   
   You will not be permitted to sell hoverboards on Amazon.com unless you provide this information. 
   
   Where can I get more information? 
   
   For more information about Razor’s patent claim, please contact Razor’s counsel: 
   
   Mr. John Cochrane 
   
   Razor USA LLC 
   
   General Counsel, Razor USA LLC 
   
   It appears Amazon may be just as concerned about patent litigation as it is with consumer-safety lawsuits, citing Razor's litigation (read more about that in this USA Today article). 
   
   Comment on the EcommerceBytes Blog. ||||| After a series of hoverboard-related fires grabbed headlines, it looks like Amazon is taking action. According to Swagway, a major seller of hoverboards, Amazon has started questioning makers about their safety standards — and appears to be removing some boards from its store. 
   
   A spokesperson for Swagway provided this statement to The Verge: 
   
   Amazon just sent out a notice to all "hoverboard" sellers to "provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger)." Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards. As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we're glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires with the poor quality batteries. On that note, we're also in the process of working on measures, to help consumers identify between an authenic Swagway and the many imitation boards that are adding our branded logo to their unauthorized boards. Meanwhile, we ask that consumers only purchase from authorized retailers as an added precaution. 
   
   As first noted by Best Reviews, links to some hoverboards have apparently disappeared, including listings for Swagway boards and those of other companies like the popular Phunkeeduck. Models from Razor and Jetson appear to still be available, as well as some cheaper models, but it's currently unclear why that's the case. 
   
   There have been at least 10 reports of hoverboard fires in nine states in recent weeks, and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is actively investigating the situation. The issue has escalated so quickly that major airlines have announced they will ban the boards from flights. Prior to Amazon's move, Overstock.com announced this week that it would stop selling the boards amid safety concerns. 
   
   Amazon has not yet responded to request for comment. 
   
   The future of rideables ||||| Anyone looking to buy a two-wheeled personal transportation device known as a “hoverboard” for a Christmas gift is about to find it a lot harder—Amazon has suspended sales of most devices on its websites in the US and the UK. 
   
   Following a rash of explosions and house fires connected to hoverboards, Amazon has asked all hoverboard manufacturers to provide documentation they are following all applicable safety standards, as first reported by gadget site BestReviews, and later confirmed by the Verge. 
   
   Hoverboard’s sudden surge in popularity came in the midst of a patent war, opening the door to dozens of importers who are purchasing shoddy products from manufactures in China, as Quartz has recently reported. 
   
   A look at Amazon’s US and UK websites confirms there’s been a swift cleanup. 
   
   Last week, searching “hoverboard” on Amazon in the US yielded hundreds of listings for vehicles: 
   
   Now, Amazon’s US website only lists hoverboards made by Razor or Jetson—all other listings are for accessories. Razor recently purchased the US patents for a self-balancing, handle-free scooter from engineer Shane Chen and investor Mark Cuban. 
   
   Amazon’s UK site has undergone a similar cleanup—the only hoverboard now available is from a company called Smartrax. The safety concerns don’t seem to have extended to Amazon’s India site, though, where dozens of brands are still available: 
   
   Amazon has told its US hoverboard sellers that they must prove their products have passed certain tests from UL, a private company that tests chargers and batteries (among other things) for safety in the US. Swagway, one of the better-known importers, provided the following statement to the Verge: 
   
   Amazon just sent out a notice to all “hoverboard” sellers to “provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger).” Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards. As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we’re glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires with the poor quality batteries. On that note, we’re also in the process of working on measures, to help consumers identify between an authentic Swagway and the many imitation boards that are adding our branded logo to their unauthorized boards. Meanwhile, we ask that consumers only purchase from authorized retailers as an added precaution. 
   
   Swagway claims its boards have been UL certified, but a Swagway board caught fire in Westchester, New York. The company did not respond to Quartz’s earlier requests for comment after the incident. 
   
   A representative for UL told Quartz earlier this month that no hoverboard brand had ever passed its tests. 
   
   Amazon isn’t the only major retailer to stop stocking the faddish product. Walmart stopped selling hoverboards in its brick-and-mortar outlets earlier this month, although it does sell Razor products online.
target: – Consumers planning on scouring Amazon to find a hoverboard to place under the Christmas tree may have to look elsewhere. Joining fellow online retailer Overstock.com, Amazon has decided to halt sales of most of the two-wheeled products on its US and UK sites in the wake of recent reports of explosions and fires. Although hoverboards from Razor and Jetson remain on the site, as do hoverboard accessories, Amazon says it won't put any other manufacturers' hoverboards back on until makers can prove their units meet appropriate safety requirements set by the private company UL, notes Quartz. The BestReviews.com site, which recently reviewed five models (none of which are available any longer on Amazon), said in response to the Amazon move that "we are not recommending any hoverboards until they are proven to be safe." So far, at least 10 hoverboard fires have been reported in nine states, per Fox59, and the Guardian reports that 88% of the non-EU hoverboards tested by the UK's trading standards authority didn't pass basic safety requirements. The Verge notes that the problem has become so worrisome that some airlines are now banning hoverboards from their flights. "Criminals and irresponsible manufacturers will often exploit high demand and attempt to flood the market with cheap and dangerous products," the CEO of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute tells the Guardian. One company that may end up profiting from the other sites' reluctance to carry hoverboards: eBay, which EcommerceBytes.com notes still had plenty of listings for the product as of Sunday night. (This guy's hoverboard didn't catch fire as he allegedly shoplifted.)