CHARLOTTE — When you buy a bike helmet or a child car seat, the most important thing is the protection it offers, but widely available counterfeit knockoffs, may not stand up to the test.
[ ALSO READ >> Consumer Reports: Infant sleep product recalls ]
A Consumer Reports investigation found bike helmets and other products that don’t meet basic safety standards for sale on several major websites.
Child car seats protect our most precious cargo, so be careful looking for them on websites with third-party sellers, such as Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Walmart or eBay.
“If you end up with a knockoff car seat, you don’t have the guarantee that it was tested to meet the minimum safety standards,” Consumer Reports’ Emily Thomas said. “If you can’t find the mandatory safety language, model numbers, date of manufacture, or manufacturer’s contact info, that’s a red flag.”
For car seats, Thomas says there are a few telltale signs.
“Some of the copycat products might have more narrow straps like what you would find on a stroller or a high chair,” she said. “Knockoffs might even lack a chest clip.”
Before you click buy, make sure the actual seller is either the manufacturer or a major retailer.
Buying the product in person at a big box store is one way to ensure the product is legit.
Consumer Reports says bike helmets are another item you should not buy from third-party sellers.
Kevin Loria, with Consumer Reports, said product safety experts with the organization recently bought 21 helmets from third-party sellers on Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Shein, Temu, and Walmart.
“Eight of the helmets lacked the required sticker or label declaring compliance with CPSC standards, meaning they didn’t meet the legal requirements for bike helmets sold in the U.S,” Loria said.
When contacted about those noncompliant helmets, Shein, Temu, and Walmart took down the listings.
Ebay had already removed the listing for the helmet Consumer Reports bought there. It also removed one for an identical helmet from a different seller.
Consumer Reports did not find a noncompliant helmet on Amazon, but a bike helmet sold there was recalled soon after the investigation for not meeting CPSC standards.
And Meta, which owns Facebook Marketplace, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
If you discover you’ve bought a counterfeit item, Consumer Reports says to return it immediately and report it to the online retailer to prevent the sale of more fakes and protect others from unknowingly buying unsafe products.
VIDEO: Consumer Reports: Risks of wearing new clothes before washing
This browser does not support the video element.