Recalled children’s toys turn up for sale online
An infant’s toy with a sharp piece of metal sticking out.
A fitness tracker that’s burned the wrists of children who plucked it from a McDonald’s HappyMeal and strapped it on.
And a children’s bath robe that doesn’t meet this minimum standard: when set ablaze, it will not burn faster than newspaper.
Each was on display Tuesday as Chicago- based KID— short for Kids In Danger, a children’s product safety advocacy group — released its annual progress report.
Nancy Cowles, KID’s executive director, said she was able to purchase the children’s products on eBay and Amazon despite recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
And despite policies in place by the mega retailers prohibiting the sale of recalled goods.
Cowles expressed her frustration at a news conference at the Thompson Center in the Loop alongside Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
“It is against the law for anyone to knowingly sell a recalled product,” she said before calling on online marketplaces to do more to put a stop to it.
“Brick and mortar stores have done a good job of this and I think now we need to look at the online marketplace,” Cowles said.
“We tend to believe that if something is for sale, it should be safe, but unfortunately that is not always the case,” Madigan said.
After reviewing the recalled items Cowles purchased, Ryan Moore, an eBay spokesman, said in an email to the Sun- Times: “I’m having our policy team review these listings now and they’ll add appropriate filters as necessary should they find these specific items on our marketplace.”
An Amazon spokesman said: “Customer safety is our highest priority. Third- party sellers are required to comply with all relevant laws and regulations when listing items for sale on Amazon. When sellers don’t comply with our terms, wework quickly to take action on behalf of customers.”
According to the KID report, 93 children’s products— nearly 12 million units — were recalled in the United States in 2017. No deaths were reported from last year’s recall. But it’s unclear how many of the products are still in circulation.
Parents can check for recalled products and injury reports, as well as report products, on SaferProducts.gov. And Madigan’s office operates a “recall hotline” for consumers seeking information on recalled products. The number is 888- 414- 7678.