Garage Sale Due Diligence

Whether you’re a buyer or seller at a garage sale, it pays to do your due diligence before selling an item and buying items secondhand. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Safety Improvement Act does cover garage sales because sales of certain secondhand items that have been banned, recalled or are in violation of the Safety Act can pose a danger to children or adults.

While garage sales will continue to be unregulated sales, the Commission does encourage sellers to be knowledgeable of the items they’re selling and if they know for a fact an item has been banned or recalled, then it is the seller’s responsibility to dispose of it and not sell it, otherwise the seller could face fines. While the initial responsibility lies in the seller’s hands, you should always remember “buyer beware,” and if you’re buying secondhand items, do your own research.

The advice is to make sure recalled products are not passed along to or pose a threat to other families.