Consignment shop horrors

I decided to hit a consignment shop today because I had little else to do, and i am on the lookout for a slide. I went to the one that describes itself as St. Pete's most 'elite' shop, though it's no nicer than any other one (maybe worse actually).
I've only been in there once before, 2-3 years ago, and they had a Britax Super Elite. It was the first time I had seen one and I remember thinking how gigantic the thing was. But that was the only seat they had.
Today, the place was CRAWLING with car seats. The first one I saw was a ratty old Century Breverra Ascend combo seat (which I had AT LEAST six years ago and remains one of my favorite seats, but probably only because I never installed it with a lap/shoulder belt!). This thing was scary. Then inside the door was a newer Snugride that was in pretty good shape. I walked to the back of the store and there were several OHS seats, including one with NO HARNESS. Then back to the front of the store where it was the worst...
Numerous shield boosters, a Gerry t-shield (it's been at least ten years since Evenflo bought Gerry, right?), two old Fisher Price something or others (one was an OHS, one was a booster. The shield on the OHS was really low though... weird), a Century Smart Move (I really wanted to play with this, but I just couldn't. As much as I wanted to check it out, I do have standards), a Britax Elite, a few Turbo Boosters, several seats I did not recognize at all, some random ratty seats that are at least current, a TON of Century Breverras (there were at least nine, geez!), a bunch of SnugRides, a Combi infant seat, a bunch of Cosco/EB ones. Then there was something, I don't know what, covered with a Marathon cover. I couldn't see the seat, but I imagine it was a combo seat of some kind. It definitely wasn't a convertible. But the WORST was an old Evenflo Comet or Apollo (I had to check the pictorial to figure this one out, but it looked pretty neat) that had a rip in the harness that had been SEWN back together! WTF? Why?

And they were EXPENSIVE. The Britax Elite was $60 and the trying to be a Marathon was $50. The Smart Move was $55, the shield boosters were $20-25, all the Breverras were $30-$45, the infant seats ranged from $30-50, the cut up Evenflo was $40.

Is there ANY law about this? Do they at least have to be current and non recalled? I mean, I would hope people would have common sense to at least not buy the ones with cut up or no straps, but if people think they are getting a deal... The Smart Move was in pretty good shape, what if someone sees that and thinks they are getting a really good deal on it? Or someone thinks they are getting a Marathon for $50?

I wish I had had my camera. I almost want to go back there and take pictures of them, maybe tell them I am with some random organization investigating them. They closed at four and they're closed on Sundays...

I will never buy anything from that store now, no matter what. I'm sure they just don't care, a buck's a buck, right?

Check your local "hazardous materials" regulations - mine has specifications for carseats.

There is only 1 consignment store locally that will buy used carseats - and the regulations they used are :
- 10 years old or less OR Unexpired if it has an expiration date on it
- seller signing a waiver of legal responsibility stating no accidents
- no recalls
- must have all stickers in tact and in place
- must have owner's manual

It's messed up isn't it? One of the baby thrift shops in the town I'm moving back to is awful about car seats. Old, missing pieces, and terribly overpriced (hello? run to wal-mart and buy a new one for less)! I really wish there was something we could do. I can only hope that people realize that you CAN buy a new seat for less and they don't buy them from there. I mean, most people shopping thrift stores ARE looking for a deal, right? Of course, they never have britax seats (or britax wannabes) so the seats they have really have cheaper counterparts at walmart.

When I go back, I think I might just have a little talk with that store. And if they don't listen to what I say, I think the city newspaper would love a dramatic story about how the local thrift shop is selling deathtraps for our littlest and most precious passengers.

The Fisher Price seat with the low shield was probably the Futura, what we have for Hayley, in the shield version.

I stopped at the children's consignment shop last wed on my way home. I'm looking for sneakers in the next sizes up that dd can happily beat up outside without paying a lot

I took a peek inside the baby gear area. There were around 15 carseats up on the wall shelves. Not one was clean or anywhere near new. They were really beat up and looked as though they had been used a very long time for multiple children. I didn't check the price, but I'm sure they were cheap.

Honestly, I don't know how to talk with the owner about this without coming across as snotty or on a fanatical bent. They're not out to make a buck, but it's additional income to support their family. I tend to overwhelm people. This was the second time I visited & saw her. From a conversation with her, there are a few well to do consigners or buyers, but most are very low income. Texas, as most of you know, has terrible child restraint laws. The information is just not out there and an unasked lecture from a stranger won't fix this.

As I become a regular visitor and our daughters decide they like to play with one another, maybe I'll be able to comfortably bring up the topic of old & worn carseats in her store.

Our baby consignment shop is really good about seats, they only accept 5pt harnessed seats and they have to be clean and in good condition, I've never seen an expired seat in there. On the other hand the thrift store in town drives me crazy. They always put their seats out on the sidewalk if it is nice out and they have the crappiest expired seats that are so over priced. I was walking downtown once and stopped to look at a ride on toy they had and they had a century infant seat sitting on a evenflo portabout base
I went in to buy the toy and explained to the lady that they didn't go together and she just shrugged and told me they came in that way

There is one consignment store (somewhat) near me that has had some really backwards rules about carseats. They sell some NASTY ones there but WOULD NOT buy a practically brand new Evenflo Ultara V from me (this was SEVERAL years ago) because, as the manager put it, "It looks too new. No one will buy it." WHAT!?!?!

I came across this webpage about a campaign in one city where some folks visited many of the thrift shops in an effort to stop the sale of unsafe child seats (scroll down to "Addressing Resale of Second-Hand Car Seats):

http://fcs.tamu.edu/safety/passenger_safety/tech_update/september2005.php

Has some great suggestions...

Maria

I don't think consignment shops are allowed to sell carseats in this state, if they are NONE of them do around here. I was thinking it was a law, but don't really know. Now consignment sales run at houses are crawling with old nasty car seats.

Ive been thinking out visiting the thrift shop in town with all the seats and taking pictures of the covers and offering them online as replacements lol!(cost only plus shipping, I get the fun of destroying them lol!) I saw one roundabout that was expired but the cover was still good! They wanted $20 for it, decent price for an extra cover Id say.
I wish our state had laws about it. Luckily the techs here have done some good work and most refuse to take them, but I recently found 1 that has a whole room devoted to seats... Im going to try to put a packet together to educate them about it, if the least it will do is get them to get rid of the expired and obviously damaged ones.

That is expensive! Years ago I had a SmartMove for my son and I think it was 80-90 dollars. That thing had the most horrible twisty straps. Quite a few times I had to remove the harness and detangle it.

I just answered a survey for a lady that is going to open a consignment shop near-by...at the end there was a place of comments.
So I added in all the info I know with links to using and buying used car seats. I hope that they read it and apply it. Maybe I helped one consignment store not be a pit of unsafe car seats.