Consumer Reports found banned or restricted baby gear on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Mercari and Craigslist, rating all four lowest for preventing unsafe or prohibited listings. Fifty of Facebook Marketplace’s first 65 listings reviewed were infant in-bed sleepers.
The search covered drop-side cribs, padded crib bumpers, infant inclined sleepers and infant in-bed sleepers. Facebook Marketplace had listings in all four categories; eBay had drop-side cribs, bumpers and in-bed sleepers, Mercari had bumpers and in-bed sleepers, and Craigslist had in-bed sleepers. Federal law effectively banned infant in-bed sleepers in 2022 and prohibits sales of recalled consumer products through resale marketplaces; Consumer Reports said some infant sleep products it found have been associated with infant deaths. None of the four required a model number for a generator resembling a recalled model or blocked the listing.
On a used-car-seat listing, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Mercari gave no added warning; eBay required a “new” selection, though the description could say used. eBay removed a padded crib bumper within 30 minutes of Consumer Reports’ report but did not remove a reported in-bed sleeper; the other platforms left reported products up. After receiving the findings in July, eBay and Facebook Marketplace updated prohibited-product policies, Mercari said it plans a feature reporting recalled or banned items, and Craigslist did not respond. Consumer Reports says buyers should ask sellers for the manufacturer name, model and manufacturing date, then check recalls themselves.
