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Consignment stores and thrift stores are great places to find bargains on anything you need from clothing to furniture and baby items.
When people want to make some extra money on items they have that still have some good use in them, often they sell them on consignment. Some people make a virtual business out of consigning things they pick up from garbage piles on the sides of the road. If you shop consignment stores and thrift stores, you can get some great deals, but you can also get some bad ones and they can even be dangerous to your child’s health. Choose carefully when you are purchasing items from these stores and keep these tips in mind.
Consignment stores sell used items. Though they will usually check items over and won’t sell clothing that is stained or ruined, they often sell many things that are not safe and have been recalled by the company that made them.
Often, the toys, baby items, cribs, etc. that are sold on consignment have been in someone’s attic or basement for awhile, and while they look to be in good condition, they could have been recalled by the manufacturer for safety reasons. If your child is hurt by a recalled item you purchased in a consignment store, you really don’t have much recourse as the product wasn’t new when you purchased it.
Consignment stores have been known to sell baby clothes with drawstrings around the hood or neck that have since been banned from children’s clothing. Walkers, car seats, and unsafe cribs are also common culprits.
If you see something you like at the consignment shop, ask them to hold it for you and check with the manufacturer to see if it has been recalled before you buy it. We had a car seat in perfectly good condition in our attic and would have sold it if we hadn’t found out it had been recalled, and it was only a few years old.
Toys can have lead paint or other dangerous substances that were once used but since have been found to cause harm. If you are buying items for children, beware and be smart.
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