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Thrift Shop Purchase Could Be A Dangerous Deal

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Think you're finding a treasure at a Thrift Shop? Here are some government statistics that might surprise you.

This month, singer Macklemore appeared on Sesame Street and, along with Oscar the Grouch, performed a remix of his song Thriftshop for the toddler crowd. 'You got a broken scooter? I bought a broken scooter.' But if the Count were in on the song, he'd be counting some pretty big numbers.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, many of the approximately 300 products that get recalled every year and can't legally be sold in retail stores wind up in thrift shops.

So this is what you need to know:

Fifty-one percent of thrift shops sell children's outerwear with a drawstring at the hood or neck which can lead to strangulation. Avoid those. Twenty percent of thrift shops sell hair dryers without protection against electrocution. Only buy those with large rectangular shaped safety plugs. And twelve percent of thrift stores sell cribs that don't meet federal safety standards. Whenever you buy children's equipment like cribs, carriers, or playpens, check the CPSC website to make sure it wasn't recalled.

But, having done that, feel free to buy those flannel zebra jammies, second-hand and rock that.

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