Home / Your toy was recalled or flagged: what to do
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Copy link
Your toy was recalled or flagged: what to do
The immediate checklist
- Stop all sales and remove listings on every channel.
- Preserve records: test reports, certificates, supplier documents, and complaint history.
- Report to the CPSC if you are the manufacturer or importer and the defect could create a substantial hazard.
- Contact affected customers with clear remedy instructions.
Rebuilding compliance after a recall
A recall is not the end of a product line if the fix is real: identify the root cause, change the design or sourcing, re-test, re-certify, and document the whole loop. Brands that handle recalls transparently recover; the brands that fail are the ones that keep shipping.
Questions people ask
Am I required to report a hazard to the CPSC?
Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers must report substantial product hazards promptly. Failing to report is itself a violation with its own penalties.
Do marketplaces notify me if my product is recalled?
Some do, some do not: recall monitoring for your own catalog is your job. Checking the CPSC recall list for your categories is a low-cost habit.
Who pays for the remedy?
Typically the responsible party (manufacturer or importer). This is one more reason the certifying party and records matter: they define who acts.
Related guides
CPSIA compliance checklist
A practical CPSIA compliance checklist for children’s product sellers: rules, testing, certificates, tracking …
CPSIA testing requirements, in plain English
Which CPSIA/CPSC testing rules apply to your children’s product, what third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted l…
Can you sell without a CPC?
Selling children’s products in the US without a CPC violates federal law. What the law requires, what happens …