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Buyer, Beware of Recalled Goods on EBay

Online auction stalwart warns users to screen carefully
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2007 12:03 PM CDT
Buyer, Beware of Recalled Goods on EBay
A Chinese girl looks at the Barbie dolls on display for sale inside a department store in Beijing in this Aug. 28, 2007 file photo. U.S. toy giant Mattel issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday, Sept. 21, 2007 over the recall of Chinese-made toys, saying most of the items were defective because...   (Associated Press)

After the recent recall of 21 million toys, eBay has cautioned its shoppers about buying tainted goods—and warned sellers of them they may be kicked off the site. The internet phenom says it’s unable to police all items in its marketplace, but will be providing tip sheets and links to a recall database. Indeed, eBay has little legal liability, AP reports.

An anecdotal search turned up 111 listings for Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway, a toy recalled for excessive lead. The website listed 559 million items last quarter—a combined value of $14.46 billion. Watchdogs say they’re working on new ways to police recalls, but for now, eBay’s pledge that such items are “strictly prohibited” will have to do. (More eBay stories.)

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