Banned Baby Products Found on Secondhand Sites
Consumer Reports found recalled and unsafe infant products listed across four major online marketplaces, including in-bed sleepers.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Babies
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Consumer Reports evaluated Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, and Mercari and found banned baby products listed on all four. Evaluators found drop-side cribs, padded crib bumpers, infant inclined sleepers, and in-bed sleepers for sale.
Why it matters
Selling recalled products is illegal, including on the secondhand market, and in-bed sleepers have been connected to suffocation and asphyxiation risk. Parents who buy used infant gear may unknowingly bring home a product that has been banned.
Consumer Reports counted 50 in-bed sleepers among 65 search results across four marketplaces. Evaluators did not report how many of these listings were removed after being flagged or whether sellers faced enforcement.
The players
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and testing organization known for independent product evaluations and safety investigations.
Meta
Meta is the parent company of Facebook, which operates Facebook Marketplace, a major online platform for buying and selling used goods.
The details
Evaluators searched Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, and Mercari and found banned products on each platform. Meta said recalled products are prohibited by its policies and that enforcement relies on automated detection and human review.
Timeline
- Consumer Reports published the secondhand marketplace warning on November 4, 2026.
Patient Care
Federal recall rules bar the sale of banned infant products, yet the Consumer Reports findings show those rules are not reliably enforced on secondhand marketplaces. Parents shopping for used cribs and sleepers should check products against the federal recall database before purchase.
Before buying a used crib, sleeper, or bumper, check the exact product name or model number on recalls.gov to confirm it has not been recalled. Avoid in-bed sleepers entirely, since they have been linked to suffocation and asphyxiation.
The takeaway
Secondhand shopping can save money, but a banned product can still show up in a normal search. A quick recall check before buying protects infants from preventable sleep hazards.
Further reading
Explore more guidance in the Babies section for safe-sleep and product-safety tips.
More information
Check any used infant product against the federal product recall and safety alert lookup before purchase.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WISN.
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Do you feel safe buying used baby products from online marketplaces?
