Used Goods May Be Unsafe, Report Says
Unsafe products may lurk on the shelves of more than two-thirds of the nation’s used-goods shops, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned Wednesday.
The agency conducted spot checks earlier this year at 301 secondhand stores nationwide--including 51 in California--and at 69% of the stores across the country, it turned up at least one product that violated safety standards or that had been recalled or banned.
The CPSC, using the survey results, is launching a campaign to raise awareness about hazards from used goods.
“The CPSC can get products off retail store shelves, but we can’t go into everybody’s home or check 9,000 thrift stores,” commission spokesman Russ Rader said.
The CPSC recalls 250 to 300 products a year because of safety concerns, but many consumers ignore or miss the announcements. Traditional recalls can occur months or years after a product originally hit store shelves. On average, less than 20% of recalled items are returned or repaired, Rader said. Many of the rest go to friends or relatives or end up in secondhand stores.
The unsafe products found most frequently in the CPSC survey were children’s clothing with drawstrings that pose strangulation hazards, hair dryers that do not protect against electrocution and cribs that do not meet updated safety standards.
The CPSC’s checks included both local stores and those of national organizations such as the Salvation Army. The agency is distributing a checklist telling the stores how to check for information on recalls, bans and current safety standards. “We don’t think they’ve done enough up to this point,” Rader said.
Resale industry leaders said they were surprised by the survey results.
“Our members are very aware of recalls,” said Adele Meyer, manager of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops, to which about 1,000 shops belong. “We want our stores to be aware and not to carry merchandise that is harmful.”
The checklist is available on the CPSC Web site, at https://www.cpsc.gov, or can be ordered by sending a postcard to Thrift Store Checklist, CPSC, Washington, DC 20207.
