Trade Me warned over unsafe product

Trade Me and five of its customers have been warned by the Commerce Commission about offering unsafe cots for sale over the internet-based trading site.

The commission said today it believed people had made false declarations that their items were compliant with safety standards.

Some of the cots offered for sale on Trade Me contravened product safety standards, designed to prevent children being suffocated or strangled.

The commission's director of fair trading, Deborah Battell, said the commission would take action against anyone who sold or advertised products that did not meet these safety standards.

"It doesn't matter if these products are new or second hand, or whether the advertiser is a private individual or in business," Ms Battell said.

Sellers who breached the standards faced a fine of up to $60,000 for an individual or $200,000 for a company.

The commission has previously worked with Trade Me to try and prevent advertising of products in breach of mandatory safety standards, particularly unsafe cots and baby walkers.

As a result, Trade Me created a new loading process that required all vendors of the relevant products to confirm they had read the safety standards before listing on the site.

While this stopped the majority of people from advertising unsafe items, some simply made false declarations that their items were compliant, the commission said.

The commission pressured Trade Me to take stronger action, and Trade Me now monitors the site, removing any non-compliant products posted for sale.

Trade Me issues warnings, banning those who persist in advertising products that breach safety standards.

NZPA