Thrifty folks like I am look for ways to get the products they like and use without spending too much in the process. That’s why places like Freecycle, Craigslist and eBay continue to exist. But I’m always amazed at the folks who give away or sell perishables on these lists–things like baby food or infant formula. As your mom may have said to you, “You don’t where that stuff’s been.”
Turns out that certain kinds of products for sale online are actually stolen goods. That’s why I’m dedicating today’s post to the following list, courtesy of the National Retail Federation (NRF), of common household items that you should never, ever buy via eBay or other online sites. Not only could it be dangerous–you don’t know the origins of the product or even if it’s the real deal–but it could also be illegal.
According to the NRF, organized retail crime investigators from a variety of the nation’s largest retailers have identified these items as the most popular health and beauty products stolen and resold by criminals:
- Abreva
- Advil
- Aleve
- Alli weight loss pills
- Benadryl
- Braun toothbrushes & replacement heads
- Bumble and Bumble
- Claritin
- Cover Girl cosmetics
- Crest Whitestrips
- diabetic testing strips
- e.p.t. pregnancy tests
- Gillette Fusion Razors and replacement cartridges
- Gillette MACH3, Venus and Sensor razors and refill cartridges
- Lotrimin
- Matrix
- Nicorette
- Oil of Olay
- Oral B replacement heads
- Pepcid AC
- Prilosec
- Primatene
- Pureology
- RoC
- Rogaine
- Similac
- Sudafed
- Schick Quattro razors and all Schick refill cartridges
- Sonicare replacement heads
- Tylenol Extra Strength
- Visine
- Zantac
NRF also added these items to the list:
- High-end liquor
- Cigarettes
- Red Bull energy drinks
- Blu-ray movies and player
- Braun electric razors
- Dyson vacuums
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
Great Post!
I have a real estate company and whenever I put homes up of Craigslist I know there will be an influx of “predators” looking to scam me. About a year ago I wrote a post on my blog similar to this but related to real estate. Buyers Beware…and Sellers too!
Here’s the link:
http://ibamountainhomes.com/wordpress/big-canoe-real-estate/craigs-list-great-real-estate-marketing-if-you-can-jump-the-sharks/
Always listen to Mom! Sadly my mom is nowhere neat internet savvy and has no idea what Craigs List is!
Karin:
Thanks for the link to your post. The comments people posted were great, too.
Leah
OMG! A couple of the items on the list have been bought by me on eBay. Luckily its not for consumption. Great post. Thanks for the heads up!