The recall procedure in the U.S. is pretty streamlined by this point, what with all the practice we get. Pretty much every manufacturer or retailer publicizes its recalls as they happen, and the media then pushes it out to the country in news reports, blogs, etc. So what about eBay? How do defective, tainted, cursed, or otherwise unsavory items get the recall treatment in secondary markets? Today eBay announced that it’s working with the CPSC to “educate consumers” on recent recalls to help ensure a safe and successful buying experience online.”

EBay says it’s placing links on various product category pages that will link to the company’s recalled items policy. According to the announcement, “eBay also messages sellers directly when they are selling items that may be affected by recent recalls.”

Our quick, semi-random test of various toy category pages revealed nothing, but we were able to track down their recall policy page through the “Announcements” link at the bottom. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer much information, other than to link to a CPSC-sponsored page that, again, has nothing much to say.

Your best bet is to to do due diligence before purchasing something, by checking the product against the CPSC’s official recalled item list.

“EBay works with Consumer Product Safety Commission on toy recalls” [MarketWatch]

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