5 On Your Side: Making sure safety products bought online are legitimate

Making sure safety products bought online are legitimate

When you buy a bike helmet or child car seat, one thing matters most – will it protect you or a loved one in a crash? We trust these products are tested to be safe, but that’s not always the case.

In a new investigation, Consumer Reports found bike helmets that don’t meet basic safety standards sold on major websites – and that’s not the only potentially phony safety gear you might find online.

Child car seats protect the most precious cargo, and while scrolling on websites with third-party sellers such as Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Walmart or eBay, you might think you’ve scored a deal. However, it may also be a dud.

“If you end up with a knockoff car seat, you don’t have the guarantee that it was tested to meet the minimum safety standards. If you can’t find the mandatory safety language, model numbers, date of manufacture, or manufacturer contact information, that’s a red flag,” said Emily Thomas with Consumer Reports. “For car seats, there are a few telltale signs – some of the copycats have narrow straps like those on a stroller or a high char. Knockoffs may lack a chest clip,” said Thomas.

Before you click buy, make sure the seller is the manufacturer or a major retailer. You can also buy it in person to ensure you’re getting the real item.

Bike helmets are another thing you shouldn’t buy from third-party sellers.

“Consumer Reports’ product safety experts recently bought 21 helmets from third-party sellers on Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Shein, Temu, and Walmart. Eight of the helmets lacked the required sticker or label declaring compliance with CSPC standards, meaning they didn’t meet the legal requirements for bike helmets sold in the U.S.” says Kevin Loria of Consumer Reports.

Policy experts say this is unacceptable.

“U.S. liability laws are outdated, and online marketplaces often use them to shield themselves from taking responsibility for the safety of goods sold by third parties on their platforms,” says Gabe Knight of Consumer Reports. “That needs to change.”

When contacted about these noncompliant helmets, Shein, Temu and Walmart took down the listings. The listing for the helmet CR bought from eBay was already down, and the company removed a listing for an identical helmet from a different seller.

Although CR didn’t find a noncompliant helmet on Amazon in the investigation, a bike helmet sold on Amazon was recalled soon after the study for not meeting CPSC standards.

Meta, the owner of Facebook Marketplace, didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

If you discover you’ve bought a counterfeit, return it immediately and report it to the online retailer. That alert could help stop the sale of more fakes and keep others from unknowingly buying unsafe products.
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