A Missouri Consumer asked this question regarding my recent blog, Recalled toys sold on eBay

What do we do if we find out that we purchased a recalled item on eBay?

This is a good question and one that all consumers should be thinking about, regardless of whether they purchased items from eBay, a store or even a garage sale. You should know that it is not illegal to sell most recalled items on eBay, or elsewhere.

Of course, there are exceptions with certain recalled products, like cars that have high lead paint levels. The sales of such cars are among items that are banned by the Federal government.

That said, eBay does have a policy against the sale of recalled goods. When shopping on eBay, obtain as much product information as possible, like the manufacturer, before purchasing any item. Then check our product recall clearinghouse, to make sure it is not listed as a recalled item.

If you find that you have already purchased a recalled item, contact the seller (whether it's from a store, eBay or even an auction house) and notify them that you've purchased a recalled item. This action will hopefully prevent the sale of that type of product to other consumers. Then get the contact information for the manufacturer of the recalled good from our recall list. Almost all of the notices on our list offer both the maker's website and phone numbers. It is important to contact the company as soon as possible. Often, you may receive a refund; other times, you may be sent a new product that has been updated to fix the defect. Further, if the product you purchased does happen to fall under the illegal recalled goods category, then you should contact the Product Safety Commission as well as take the necessary steps listed above. If you need assistance with this aspect, you can contact the MO AG's office by going online at ago.mo.gov, or you can call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.