Is It Legal To Sell Used Child Car Seats? Explained

I can remember the time me and John purchased the first baby car seat for Lily. After serving my princes for a long time reliably she grew up, and we had to leave it on sale. But one day John asked me a question, is it legal to sell used child car seats? 

At that moment I had no answer so I looked into it deeply. If your child’s car seat covers all the safety checklist by NHTSA  you’re good to sell it as no state disallows it to date.

Now, I’m sharing the answer to the question with a brief explanation.

Is It Legal To Sell Used Child Car Seats? When And Why?

About legal matters, we always search for the relevant law and a quick + easy explanation. As I said at the very beginning, I had no idea about it and for that, I looked into the local state’s laws one by one. 

Local car seat laws of a state can vary a little or more from others. As I travel inter-state with my kid from time to time, I had to know some other facts along with it. To date, no state law restrains a used car from selling until it misses any safety check. 

The only purpose of a child car seat is to provide safety and comfort while traveling. New or old whatever the stat is, the car seat has to provide safety and comfort – promised in the manuals.  

So, if your desired car seat meets all the necessary safety checks, you can happily sell or buy it. Even if the seat passes all the checks and conditions still there’s a chance of something unexpected. 

Not to mention that unexpected events can happen with a new car seat too. So, it’s better to stay concerned and use whatever fits the conditions.  

The Regulations For Selling Car Seats

Every brand new and used child car seat along with the manufacturing company, is bound to follow the FMVSS. However, you may find some car seats selling online that hardly follow the safety check.

So, when you’re planning to purchase a used child car seat, first take a look at the label. If you find it with a clear view to read the writings, it means you’re okay to deal with it. 

The regulations clearly require a stimulated test for safety-checking purposes. Where the main point of attention is the head and the chest area. If your car seat hasn’t gone through this test, you’re putting your kid in danger.  

The Importance Of Child Car Seat Safety

The safety of a child is always the priority, if your child is on a travel, it becomes a duty for your, caregiver, even the society as a whole. In today’s world, every type and size of vehicle along with their speed are uncountable.

In 2021, about 711 children died in accidents. 226 were unrestrained, and many were restrained but not properly. As a parent, this statistic is surely very alarming. And that’s why you put the little star in a car seat that works for both safety and comfort.

 The CDC declares that child car seats can reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers. As long as your child is safe in a car seat, you as a parent or caregiver can breathe in peacefully.

These stats are variable; they can change in less than a blink of an eye but the demand for your child’s safety is always high. So, for your baby’s safe journey, you have to purchase a good quality child car seat. 

Before You Sell It

In other words, what should you look for in a used car seat before purchasing? I would have checked the following facts if I were at your place.

• Instructions: The baby car seat must come with the official manual provided by the manufacturing company. It contains all the necessary information for a smooth operation in specific situations. 
• Official marking(Label): The car seat must have an official label that contains information like production date, model, expiry date, etc. This label helps in claiming warranty services so it must be clear to read.
• Age: The car seat must not be more than 6 years old. It is the standard timing for product expiration, after which it can be harmful to health. The explanation for the car seat expiration can make you understand more precisely. 
• Clean: It has to be clean. Any crash or wear & tear, dust, or mud should be enough to reject the car seat model for your baby. Accident often leaves some damage that can cause a problem in the future. You must know the history.
• Recalled Product: The car seat model can’t be a refurbished/recalled product.  This kind of product typically contains some changes, and this serves the purpose for a moment but can cause problems in the future.
• Components: Every component of the child car seat such as LATCH, anchor, 5-point harness, straps, chest clip, and base (if any) has to be in its place unchanged and properly functioning. No part is missing, in short to say.

So, if your answer is a big Yes to all the points above, anyone willing is free to purchase. However, the CPISA Act 2008 states particularly all the facts that can allow and disallow selling it, give it a try.

I made this list after long research on the internet, individual discussions with elderly citizens, and some personal experience. You can follow it, even if you find any important fact out of my list, please let me know.

What If I Can’t Find A Buyer?

It is expected that you’re on a budget, and that’s why you want to resell the used child car seat. But it’s not obvious that you put an ad and sell it within a few days. Sometimes it takes months to find a buyer, and sometimes you may end up with no luck. What do do?

Recycle It 

It’s a very nice approach and my favorite one, too. This allows you to contribute to the good of Mother Earth by reducing pollution. And to encourage that Walmart is offering a gift card worth $30 for every used car seat you recycle through them.

Donate It

If you have repaired any of your home items such as the iPad or even the exhausted fan, you already know the importance of a spare part. There’s a high demand for spare parts of every category all over the world, so why not donate them as spare parts? 

This is a different way of serving the local community. If you have spare time, pull off every component of your car seat and mark the important + hard-to-get parts to donate to the nearest repair shop. Or you can directly consult the waste management service to find the important parts. This will save you some time.

What If I Sell A Non-Approved Child Car Seat?

The straight answer to this question is that you will be violating the state laws. In many states, it’s illegal to sell a non-approved child car seat. It doesn’t mean that you are about to do it intentionally, you may have a situation. What is that?  

Suppose any of your near and dear people bought a car seat from eBay or Amazon without checking the Federal approval. And as there’s no approval, then what to do? And this is where you can get the wrestling idea. What else can you do?

To escape from such burden and the penalty for such probable law violation, you can dismantle it with the help of your local waste management services. Or you can apply a silly idea such as converting the seat into your pet cat or dog’s home 😂.

Final Words

Buying a new or used child car seat is completely your choice. One can buy or sell a child’s car seat confidently until it follows all the standard rules and procedures. So, if your car seat has an expiry period yet to pass, hasn’t been recalled yet, has a clean history, all the components are present, no wear & tear or damage, any potential person can buy it.

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