eBay warns inflatable pool sellers of safety obligations

For quite a while, industry members and regulators had been concerned that while inflatable backyard pools posed just as much of a drowning risk for toddlers as in-ground pools, there was not sufficient requirement for sellers to alert purchasers of the risk.

From March 30, 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), in partnership with state and territory consumer protection agencies, began enforcing a new mandatory safety standard for portable pools and their retail packaging including mandatory safety warnings.

However, some inflatable pools sold on the internet including via eBay were not being sold in a way that sufficiently alerted consumers to the safety issues.

Following communication from the Swimming Pool & Spa Alliance, eBay has now included warnings to sellers of inflatable and portable pools in the form of a pop-up message, alerting them to their obligations in ensuring consumers remain vigilant with safety .

The message (below) pops up any time a seller creates a listing for portable or inflatable pools in the pools category of the ebay.com.au site.