But in the letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, Hoehn-Saric says that his agency continues to find hundreds of recalled Rock ’n Play sleepers being sold every month on secondary marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, which is owned by Meta.
“I am writing to you for a second time to urge you to prevent the listing of recalled and violative products on Meta’s Facebook Marketplace platform,” the letter said. It noted that from Feb. 27, 2022, through March 7, 2023, the CPSC issued 3,981 “takedown requests”—roughly 10 a day—for Rock ’n Play sleepers posted on secondary marketplaces, most often Facebook Marketplace.
Hoehn-Saric’s letter said that while Facebook Marketplace generally removes listings soon after being notified, that is not sufficient. “Facebook is uniquely positioned to identify recalled and violative products like the Rock ’n Play and stop their sale before they are listed,” Hoehn-Saric wrote. “This would guarantee that these dangerous products are not sold, and further tragedies are averted.”
In the letter to Ynon Kreiz, CEO of Mattel, Hoehn-Saric urged the company to take more aggressive steps to inform owners of Rock ’n Play sleepers about the dangers of the products. He noted that at least eight infants are known to have died since the recall was first announced in April 2019. Earlier this year, the CPSC worked with Mattel to reannounce the recall but, Hoehn-Saric said, that has not slowed the illegal sale of Rock ’n Play sleepers on the secondary market.
The average listed price of those used products is about $25, according to the CPSC—less than what some consumers would get if they participated in the recall. “Fisher-Price clearly has not done enough to incentivize consumers to act upon the recall,” Hoehn-Saric wrote. “It is incumbent on Fisher Price to motivate consumers to stop using the Rock ’n Play and to destroy unused Rock ’n Plays that may be in their homes. A refund of the full purchase price of all Rock ’n Plays would be a good start in achieving these outcomes.”
As of March 2022, less than 10 percent of the Rock ’n Play sleepers had been accounted for, according to information from Fisher-Price’s parent company, Mattel, in its response to questions from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., about its handling of the recall. In other words, as of a year ago more than 4 million of the recalled sleepers could be still out in the world.
Catherine Frymark, a spokeperson for Fisher-Price, told CR that the company and the CPSC "share a common goal: to remove this recalled product from the market." And, she said, "We have recently made clear to the CPSC our willingness to increase the proportional cash refund available to consumers who participate in the recall."
Ashley Settle, a Meta spokesperson, told CR that, “Like other platforms where people can buy and sell goods, there are instances of people knowingly or unknowingly selling recalled goods on Marketplace. We take this issue seriously and when we find listings that violate our rules, we remove them.”
Oriene Shin, policy counsel at Consumer Reports, says “It’s unconscionable that these dangerous Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play sleepers are still posted for sale online—especially in secondhand listings on Facebook Marketplace—at such an alarming rate.” She adds, “We welcome these letters from Chair Hoehn-Saric to Mattel and Meta, and wholeheartedly agree: Both companies must immediately step up to stop illegal sales and make it as simple and appealing as possible to take part in the recall. The safety of newborn babies nationwide demands that Fisher-Price and Facebook stop dragging their feet.”
Anyone who still has a Rock ’n Play sleeper or similar product should immediately stop using it, and instead contact Fisher-Price about the recall.
Here are some other tips to follow whenever buying used products, whether on FaceBook Marketplace and similar sites, or in person.
Ask the seller for the brand, model, serial number, and date the product was manufactured. Or if you can, look for that information yourself on the product or in its instruction manual. Then look up the product on CPSC.gov/Recalls.
Be extra careful when considering used baby gear. That includes avoiding the purchase of expired car seats (car seats expire for reasons such as design and technology updates) or any older equipment that may lack safety upgrades. And note that even if a product hasn’t been pulled from the market, it might have been part of a recall-repair program.
Check to see if the product has been recalled. At thrift stores or consignment shops, ask if they screen for recalled products. Some do. You can also go to Recalls.gov or cpsc.gov/recalls to see if a product has been recalled.
If you see a recalled product posted for sale, let the seller know so that the item doesn’t get purchased and used by anyone else.
If you are selling a used item, check first to make sure it hasn’t been recalled. Don’t put a recalled product up for sale or give it away.
