Recalled toys on sale online, US brand watchdog warns

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Consumers beware: Recalled toys are being sold online on auction, e-commerce sites and business-to-business sites, brand watchdog MarkMonitor warned Monday.

"A number of high-profile toy recalls combined with a slower economy doesn't bode well as the holiday shopping season begins. And shoppers will find an increasing number of online sites continuing to sell recalled toys," the MarkMonitor Brandjacking Index said.

The international brand-protection firm's latest quarterly report exposes risks of online holiday shopping for toys, after a rash of toy recalls, many of them Chinese-made, for lead paint, loose parts and toxic chemicals.

In an online search of 1,157 different auction listings for nine toy brands, MarkMonitor said it had found...