Consumers beware: Recalled toys are being sold online on auction, e-commerce sites and business-to-business sites, brand watchdog MarkMonitor warned Monday.
"A number of high-profile toy recalls combined with a slower economy doesn't bode well as the holiday shopping season begins. And shoppers will find an increasing number of online sites continuing to sell recalled toys," the MarkMonitor Brandjacking Index said.
Toxic Toys For Toddlers
Toys in Indian stores were found to contain an alarmingly high ratio of lead, which made them unsafe for children
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The international brand-protection firm's latest quarterly report exposes risks of online holiday shopping for toys, after a rash of toy recalls, many of them Chinese-made, for lead paint, loose parts and toxic chemicals.
In an online search of 1,157 different auction listings for nine toy brands, MarkMonitor said it had found 349 auction listings for four specific recalled toys that contain lead paint: Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train, Elmo, and a Barbie and Tanner play set that has loose magnets.
![More of Chinese-made Products Recalled in US]( "More of Chinese-made Products Recalled in US")
The US consumer safety agency announced Thursday the recall of more than 635,000 Chinese-made toys, key chains and other products that contain unsafe levels of lead or pose a choking hazard.
The vast majority of these auctions of recalled toys were from US-based sellers and many of them offered steep discounts from the retail toy price, MarkMonitor said.
"Eighty-three percent of auction listings selling recalled toys ship from the United States, more than all other countries combined," MarkMonitor said, adding "Britain is the second largest at six percent."
None of the auctions mentioned that the toys were recalled, it added.
The survey found 30 percent of online auctions continue to sell products after they have been recalled for lead paint or loose small parts.
Business-to-business (B2B) exchange sites that sell in bulk to online and brick-and-mortar retailers were selling suspicious and recalled toys for sale, "which is even more of a threat as large quantities of these dangerous toys could enter the retail stream," the report said.
The firm said that on one day in September, it found 1,150 listings for the nine toy brands offering a total of a million toys.
"One site, made-in-china.com, accounts for 79 percent of toys in this channel," the firm said.
Source: AFP
LIN/P
More of Chinese-made Products Recalled in US
The US consumer safety agency announced Thursday the recall of more than 635,000 Chinese-made toys, key chains and other products that contain unsafe levels of lead or pose a choking hazard.
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The vast majority of these auctions of recalled toys were from US-based sellers and many of them offered steep discounts from the retail toy price, MarkMonitor said.
"Eighty-three percent of auction listings selling recalled toys ship from the United States, more than all other countries combined," MarkMonitor said, adding "Britain is the second largest at six percent."
None of the auctions mentioned that the toys were recalled, it added.
The survey found 30 percent of online auctions continue to sell products after they have been recalled for lead paint or loose small parts.
Business-to-business (B2B) exchange sites that sell in bulk to online and brick-and-mortar retailers were selling suspicious and recalled toys for sale, "which is even more of a threat as large quantities of these dangerous toys could enter the retail stream," the report said.
The firm said that on one day in September, it found 1,150 listings for the nine toy brands offering a total of a million toys.
"One site, made-in-china.com, accounts for 79 percent of toys in this channel," the firm said.
Source: AFP
LIN/P
Poisoning Chances Slight for Children Who Play With Lead-tainted Toys
Seeking to reassure parents jittery over massive recall of toys with high levels of lead, US toxicologists say risks of poisoning for children are relatively low. Still vigilance is called for.
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 Chinese Authorities Admit Presence of Date-rape Chemical in ToyAs millions of Chinese-made toy beads are pulled off the shelves, the country's safety watchdog confirms presence of date-rape chemical. | Advertisement
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