The government has a new concern that I bet you never even considered before - garage sells and other resell venues. The idea, they tell us, is that people might be reselling recalled merchandise, which could be dangerous. However, they aren't seeking to simply warn people to check recall lists before purchasing things like toys, car seats and electronics. They are making it a criminal offense to resell such items.
Warning people about recalled items is a good idea, but it seems overboard to criminalize such things, and that makes us wonder, what are they really trying to do? Maybe the real idea is to hurt charitable organizations the make their money reselling donations, driving those people to the retail stores. This would have many effects, just use your imagination here. More sales, more taxes, perhaps even closing down some non-profit resellers, especially the smaller local outlets.
Places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and other charitable organizations have already stated that they are going to have a very hard time trying to comply with this law. They cannot check every toy or other potentially recalled item, so might be pushed to limit items they carry. This could make surviving more and more difficult.
Also in the cross hairs are digital resellers; places like Craigslist, Backpages, and other online marketplaces.
So, there is a new maxim to add to your vocabulary, Seller Beware!
No comments:
Post a Comment