TUCSON, Ariz. - “The Fisher Price Rock’n Play Sleeper was recalled back in April after Consumer Reports tied the product to dozens of infant deaths," says Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Consumer Reports.
But Consumer Reports found many people are still selling them on the second-hand market. With a scan of Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, you can find hundreds of these sleepers as well as other recalled products, like recalled Ikea dressers.
“It’s illegal to sell recalled products, including on the second-hand market, but people might not be aware of the law, or may not realize the product they’re selling has been recalled. But the websites that host their listings should be aware," says Peachman.
“Second-hand retail sites need do much more to put safety first," says Consumer Reports Policy Expert, William Wallace. "They really need to track every recall and block the sale of any recalled goods to make sure that it stays out of consumers hands.”
Neither Craigslist nor Facebook responded to Consumer Reports’s questions about steps they take to prevent the sale of recalled products on their websites.
Both eBay and Kijiji, a classifieds website owned by eBay and available in Canada, told CR that they use a number of techniques to prevent the sale of recalled items on their websites. eBay agreed to remove all infant inclined sleepers from its website, even those that were not recalled.
Fisher-Price said it has “communicated directly with nearly two dozen major online marketplaces, including Facebook and Craigslist, urging them to ... prevent the sale or resale of Rock ’n Play Sleepers.”
Ikea said it had “sent letters to Amazon, Craigslist, and eBay to inform them of the recall” of dressers that can tip over too easily and injure children.
How can you protect yourself from unknowingly buying or selling a recalled product?
“Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a used item, it’s important that you check Recalls.gov or the CPSC’s recall site first to make sure it hasn’t been recalled," says Peachman. "And never put a recalled product up for sale or give it away.”
