Blog Post

Study Shows That Recalled Products Can Still be Purchased Online


August 27, 2007
Topic: Recalled Products

Even though El Segundo, California based Mattel, Inc. has removed all of its dangerous recalled products from retailer's stores, that doesn't mean that parents should stop using caution when shopping for something for their children to play with. There are many other, less publicized recalled products, each of which may pose a serious health hazard. Also, because of the prevalence of online auction sites, recalling a product is no longer a guarantee it is off the market.

According to a recent study, many recalled products are still being sold on online auction sites, such as San Jose, California based eBay. Keri Brown Kirschman, the lead author of the study and assistant psychology professor at the University of Dayton, says she searched for the 141 recalled products on eBay for 30 days. She found them offered in at least 144 online auctions, seventy percent of which were successfully sold to unsuspecting customers. The study recommended that auction sites should have online sellers electronically sign a form that confirms their products have not been recalled. eBay currently has a policy against listing recalled products on its site, but with the sheer number of recalls announced by individual companies and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission every month, they have difficulty enforcing it.

Before you buy a product anywhere, particularly in an informal setting such as a garage sale or online auction, check the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website for recalls. Their site allows you to see the most recent product recalls, as well as search through all of the recalls throughout their history.

Whenever a company widely sells any product, especially products marketed towards children, they have an obligation to guarantee it is completely safe. If you or one your children has been seriously injured by a toy or other product due to a manufacturing defect, call one the experienced product liability attorneys at The Reeves Law Group. A personal injury claim against a negligent manufacturer not only might help injured victims receive fair compensation, it also puts pressure on all companies to tighten safety practices.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.