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Health Canada is warning potential buyers to be cautious when scoping out potential second-hand purchases from garage sales, flea markets or the internet.
Speaking with Castanet, consumer product safety officer Andress Lee with Health Canada acknowledged buying secondhand products can help reduce costs and waste, but said the risk buyers face is threefold.
“The first one is the product condition. Secondhand items may have wear and tear damage, hidden issues or sometimes they may have missing labels,” said Lee.
“Some secondhand products may pose a safety hazard if they have been damaged or poorly maintained.”
Lee said buyers should also be aware if the product has been recalled, as secondhand products tend to be older models subject to safety recalls, or if the item has been banned in Canada.
She said the best thing to do is to ask plenty questions about the product’s history, including if it originated in Canada, who it was manufactured by and how well it has been maintained.
“Clear communication can always help buyers to make the best decision,” she said.
She said buyers should also handle and test the functions of any product before purchasing.
If you are in possession of a recalled or banned item, Lee advised that you should stop using the item right away and submit a consumer incident report online.
“They should stop using it right away because it’s no longer safe, and destroy and discard the product so the product cannot be reused,” Lee said.
“We’ll follow up with the manufacturer, because there are times that we want to know if there’s any defects in the manufacturing, like is there any design defect in the product, or is the product maybe just being misused by the customers?”
She said a list of product recalls are available on Health Canada’s website, as well as a list of banned consumer products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act
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