Black Friday is next week, and the deals are already pouring in. If you've got toys to cross off your holiday wish list, you may want to give them a close look, as some products could pose a safety risk.
"Most people just assume that if something is for sale, that it must be safe … And that is absolutely not correct at all," said Teresa Murray, the Director of the Consumer Watchdog program at U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
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Each year, PIRG releases its "Trouble in Toyland" report, highlighting the hidden dangers when it comes to shopping for toys and other items online.
"E-commerce is great. It's convenient. It allows you to shop at multiple places at the same time, but you just need to be careful. You need to use a little more scrutiny because things are not as transparent," said Murray.
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That's because an alarming number of toys entering this country aren't safe. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Custom Border Patrol confiscated more the 1 million dangerous or illegal toys in the fiscal year of 2023.
"If they seized $1.6 million, and that's just a fraction of what is coming through the borders," Murray said, "that really needs to give people pause and realize that this this is serious."
Millions of toys that come from overseas may not comply with U.S. safety requirements.
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"These shipments are of such low value, 'Hey, Customs and Border Protection, you don't need to look at these.' And they don't come in with the proper paperwork in some cases. And so, a lot of unsafe toys get through."
Murray recommends shoppers be extra vigilant when buying those hard to find items this year.
"Anything that is seizing on something that's very popular at the moment, that's a lot of times where the bad guys go because they're like, 'Hey … we'll produce that and slap this brand on it.' And there may not even be a toy like that," said Murray. "The bad guys know the types of toys that parents and gift-givers are likely to want to seek out and kind of try to fill that need."
To stay protected, you should only buy from known, trusted sellers. Look at the brand's website to find authorized retailers. If a seller isn't on the list, the product may be a counterfeit.
"Don't buy anything overseas that's direct-to-consumer that's going to come in your mailbox, that's going to come direct to you," Murray said. "Because you don't have the middleman who's looking out for your interests."
You can also check whether the toy has been recalled here. You can also check for any reported incidents at saferproducts.gov.
