The merchant has a direct relationship with the consumer, which is contractual and typically gives the consumer express and implied warranties against any defective products. Anyone selling goods over the Internet is probably a merchant for those goods. Merchant status establishes implied warranties in addition to any express warranties. The U.C.C. rules in Article 2 displace general contract law for all transactions in goods. However, Article 2 is not exactly the same from state to state.
Minor variations occur, so it is critical to read the state laws applicable to the case at hand.
In international transactions, Article 2 may be superseded by the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods. This Convention applies if both parties to a contract for sale of goods are in member countries that have joined the Convention. As in other implied warranties, the parties can agree that the rules of the Convention do no apply. In products liability action, the ultimate user of a product, as a matter of law, is entitled to recover against retailer and wholesaler of defective product in addition to the manufacturer if it is shown that the product entered the stream of commerce in defective state, the defect existed at time of injury, and that defect caused injury. Subsection a. of section 1 identifies the theories under which a manufacturer or seller may be held liable for harm caused by a product.