Buyer Beware: Safety Tips for Shopping Garage Sale Bargains

For Immediate Release Contact: Diane White Phone:  918-770-3905 DianeWhite@Jbfsale.com   Buyer Beware: Safety Tips for Shopping Garage Sale BargainsNorth America’s Leading Bargain Hunters Offer Tips for Spotting Unsafe, Recalled Items Just Between Friends Kids Consignment’s Recall Expert Offers Guidelines for Garage Sales Tulsa, Okla. – One of America’s favorite past-times is going to garage sales. Each week, more than 690,000 people shop more than 165,000 garage sales, according to Statistic Brain. In addition, these bargain hunters purchase nearly five million secondhand items a week. While garage sales are a great way to save and make money, there is also potential risk, especially when buying items for children. When shopping at a garage sale it is “buyer beware”. When it comes to bargain shopping and shopping resale, Just Between Friends (JBF) is a leading expert. JBF is North America’s Leading Children’s and Maternity Consignment Event, with more than 150 events in 29 states and Canada. Just Between Friends places a high priority on safety. JBF’s Product Safety and Recall Specialist, Kami Snowbarger, works closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and is a leading expert on shopping safety in the resale market. Snowbarger offers these tips for shopping garage sales or flea markets. 1. Check it out before you buy it: Make sure that item isn’t on a recall list – especially if buying used toys or baby equipment. Grab your phone and visit wemakeitsafer.com to check for recalls. 2. Use a little “quality control”: Make sure that items have all parts and that they are in good working order. Avoid buying items that are broken, damaged or missing pieces. 3. Use caution with car seats & cribs: Snowbarger recommends that you avoid buying a car seat or crib at a garage sale. Car seats have expiration dates and should be inspected for wear, damage and missing parts. Older cribs don’t meet the current CPSC standard and are unsafe. Only purchase second hand car seats and cribs from knowledgeable resellers. “At Just Between Friends’ consignment events, our trained staff performs thorough safety checks on all cribs and car seats before consignors can sell them,” explained Snowbarger. Safety Tips for Buying Cribs & Car Seats

• Any crib for sale must have a date of manufacture after June 28, 2011 in order to meet current government safety standards.
• When buying a used car seat, check the manufacturer’s suggested expiration date and do not buy it if it has expired. In addition, make sure the car seat is not on a recall list and does not have any cracks, torn or frayed straps or other signs of wear.

For more information or to set up an interview with Kami Snowbarger, contact DianeWhite@jbfsale.com or call 918-770-3905. If you would like to use the information and tips in this press release, please credit Just Between Friends. We can also provide photos and video. About Just Between Friends In 1997, Just Between Friends was created in a living room in Tulsa, Oklahoma when Shannon Wilburn, a mother of two young children, and her friend Daven Tackett hosted a sale with 17 friends as consignors and had gross sales of $2000.  In 2015, that same sale hosted two events and grossed nearly 1 million dollars.  The sales caught on with families and grew, so in 2003, they formed Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc.  Wilburn is now sole owner and CEO of Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc., which has 150 franchises in 29 states and one in Canada.  System wide sales in 2015 topped 27 million and they expect to top 30 million in 2016. In May 2016, Just Between Friends was named a top low-cost franchise by CNBC. In June 2015, Forbes Magazine named Just Between Friends one of the top five franchises in the United States, up from #10 in 2014. JBF was also named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.  In 2012, Just Between Friends was one of only 75 companies to receive the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Blue Ribbon Award.  Just Between Friends Franchise Systems Inc. also received a “Franchisee Satisfaction Award” and was named in the Top 50 franchises by “Franchise Business Review” for the past 7 years. Wilburn was also named one of Oklahoma’s “50 Women Making a Difference” by Journal Record Newspapers, was awarded the Small Business Administration’s “Women in Business Champion” for Tulsa, and was part of the Tulsa Business Journal’s 40 under 40.   JBF has been featured on numerous national television shows including  The Today Show, Good Morning America, Real Biz with Rebecca Jarvis, Fox News , CBS Early Show, ABC News, CNN , Headline News, Inside Edition and CNBC’s  The Big Idea. They have also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Inc.com as well as many top markets including New York City, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and Philadelphia and on popular websites Huffington Post, www.yahoo.com,  www.sheknows.com and Disney website  www.family.com.