Increased On-Site Advice Will Help Consumers Make More Educated Decisions Before Buying a Product

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Oct. 2, 2007 -- eBay Inc. announced today that it is working closely with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to educate consumers on recent toy recalls to ensure a safe and successful buying experience online, particularly during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

eBay is taking action by placing hyperlinks to eBay's Recalled Items policy on various product category pages. For major recalls, eBay also messages directly to sellers when they are selling items that may be affected by recent recalls and will post links to the Recalled Items policy and other resources on the Toy & Hobbies Discussion Board page. The goal is to educate eBay buyers on how to take precautions to avoid purchasing a recalled product which may have inadvertently been listed by sellers on eBay.

"eBay has been working with the CPSC for a number of years as part of our commitment to making eBay a safe place to trade, and as an e-commerce leader, we see extra education as part of our responsibility in light of the recent toy recalls," said Catherine Schwartz, eBay's toy and gadget director. "Listing items on eBay which have been recalled is strictly prohibited and if the CPSC asks eBay to remove an item, we will take it down."

In addition to links on category pages, eBay makes it easy for consumers to learn more about recalled items by allowing one-click access to the CPSC's web site through its Security and Resolution page. Consumers can easily obtain helpful safety tips from the CPSC, access a searchable database of recalled products and sign up to have notifications of newly recalled products e-mailed directly to them as part of the agency's Drive to One Million campaign.

"The rapid growth of online shopping exposes consumers to a different set of challenges in identifying potentially recalled or defective products being sold online," said Acting CPSC Chairman Nancy Nord. "In order to ensure consumers are not purchasing products which have been deemed hazardous, it is critical for us to work with e-commerce marketplaces such as eBay to educate consumers on these risks."

Tips for Avoiding Recalled Items

eBay offers the following tips to consumers to help them avoid purchasing recalled items on the site.

1. Understand the Policy. If you see a link to eBay's Recalled Items policy on a particular category page, follow the link and read about how eBay deals with recalled items on the site.

2. Watch the eBay Announcement Board. eBay has posted information on product recalls on its Announcement Board for each of the last three major recalls. These posts give additional detail and direct consumers on where to send questions. Click here to view the eBay Announcement Board.

3. Consult the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC posts the serial numbers and dates of manufacture for all recalled products. When in doubt about a particular item, consult this list.

4. Ask the Seller a Question. If you believe an item you are interested in bidding on or purchasing may be part of a recall, we encourage you to use the Ask Seller a Question feature to verify the serial number, which can then be cross-checked with the CPSC.

5. Tell eBay. If you have reason to suspect that an item has been recalled, you can report it to eBay. At the bottom of every item for sale, there is a "Report this Item" button for you to send it to our Customer Support teams to review.

About eBay Inc.

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

About the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.