With the warm weather finally upon us, you may soon start seeing signs popping up in your neighbourhood for garage sales.
You’ll find old records and books, kids’ clothing and antiques.
It could be a way for you to make a few dollars selling things you don’t need, or you could get lucky and find a deal. But there are some things you should never buy used without knowing their history or if they’ve been involved in safety recalls.
According to Consumer Reports, not everything is as good of a deal as it seems.
Battery-powered lawn tools, for example, are a product that should come with a charger, extra batteries, and the manual if the seller still has it.
“The most important thing you want to know is the age of the tool,” said Paul Home with Consumer Reports.
When it comes to baby items, secondhand goods are not always a good deal.
“While it’s illegal to sell recalled products, including on the secondhand market, people might not be aware of the law or may not realize the product they’re selling has been recalled,” said Emily Thomas with Consumer Reports.
Cribs with drop-down sides are another dangerous item to never buy. These cribs have been linked to dozens of infant deaths and were banned in 2011.
“Sometimes a used crib may be passed on to you disassembled. You won’t know if there’s missing hardware unless you have the assembly instructions,” Angela Lashbrook with Consumer Reports said.
Used car seats can also be problematic “because there’s a lot you won’t reliably know about the seat, including its crash history,” said Thomas.
The same goes for used bike helmets.
“You should never reuse a bike helmet that’s been in a crash in case of another crash. Even if there are no marks, you still don’t know its history; it’s not worth it,” said Kevin Loria with Consumer Reports.
According to the City of Toronto’s website, a permit or licence is not required to have a garage sale and homeowners can have two of them a year, lasting two consecutive days.
