Today's listing has been reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. I recommend others do this also at:

http://www.saferproducts.gov

This is a copy of your Report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Woot.com is knowingly selling this recalled product:
Buckyballs 216-Piece Rare Earth Magnetic Set – 2 Pack

From Feb: Report ID: 20120222-89094-2147469936
From today: Report Number: 20120416-CB5BA-2147468387
Date Submitted: 4/16/2012
Report Status: Submitted and Certified

bduchouq wrote:Today's listing has been reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. I recommend others do this also at:

http://www.saferproducts.gov

This is a copy of your Report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Woot.com is knowingly selling this recalled product:
Buckyballs 216-Piece Rare Earth Magnetic Set – 2 Pack

From Feb: Report ID: 20120222-89094-2147469936
From today: Report Number: 20120416-CB5BA-2147468387
Date Submitted: 4/16/2012
Report Status: Submitted and Certified

The product was recalled because they were labelled for ages "13+" instead of ages "14+," and need to say "Keep Away From All Children." I'm totally serious.

The sets being sold here today are properly labelled as such, and therefore are not the recalled version.

Woot actually acknowledges the previous recall at the bottom of the item description. They are not trying to hide anything.

lichme wrote:I forgot to mention. In case you had the same idea that I did (magnetic dartboard)

Hmmm... dartboard... darts... missiles... sets one to consider what sort of launching device might work with a high powered magnet.

But then again, they're probably too fragile for any repeted missile launching games.

cjpowers wrote:I don't think it is Buckyballs that have caused the problem. Until a few kids got some serious injuries, small, strong, rare-earth magnets were used in some kids toys and those toys caused the problems. My daughter had one of these toy building sets. As a result of these accidents, any item containing such magnets now carries a warning.

____________________
They are setting themselves up for a lawsuit.

March 2008: More Magnetix sets were recalled due to the magnets coming loose. Other brands with magnets have been recalled, but they continue to be sold.

April 15, 2009: "Magnetix building sets manufacturer to pay $1.1 million penalty." http://www.wickedlocal.com/danvers/archive/x547385706/Magnetix-building-sets-manufacturer-to-pay-1-1-million-penalty

November 10, 2011: CPSC issues warning about harm caused by high-powered magnets that are marketed as stress relievers and desk toys. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12037.html

novastarj wrote:The product was recalled because they were labelled for ages "13+" instead of ages "14+," and need to say "Keep Away From All Children." I'm totally serious.

The sets being sold here today are properly labelled as such, and therefore are not the recalled version.

Woot actually acknowledges the previous recall at the bottom of the item description. They are not trying to hide anything.

A similar product to this has killed a child. Woot wants to be associated with that?

bduchouq wrote:A similar product to this has killed a child. Woot wants to be associated with that?

Just pointing out that it is inappropriate to file a report that Woot is selling a recalled product when in fact this version of the product has not been recalled (and is abiding by the proper federal standards).

Though honestly, children die every day in tragic and avoidable accidents. It's incredibly sad. But this doesn't mean every product that could potentially kill should not be sold. It only means parents must be responsible with any purchases they make that are potentially dangerous. This product is clearly not a children's toy (and it is very explicitly labelled in that way).

DivineMercy wrote:WARNING: You really should avoid ingestion, or any action (i.e.fake lip piercing) that could result in ingestion!

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/operation-needed-after-buckyballs-accident/2482452.aspx

_____________
Thank you for referring to this article. Everyone should read it before buying this dangerous "toy."

bduchouq wrote:A similar product to this has killed a child. Woot wants to be associated with that?

Simple. keep them away from your kids!

God help people that own firearms

WilfBrim wrote:Either every time some child swallows some of these and perforates their small bowel it gets reported in the popular media, or these cases are happening very frequently.

Since my initial thought is that the latter is the case, I'm wondering how Buckballs (and their competitors) haven't been sued into a smoking hole in the ground by now.

__________________
They are setting themselves up for a lawsuit

March 2008: More Magnetix sets were recalled due to the magnets coming loose. Other brands with magnets have been recalled; however they continue to be sold.

April 15, 2009: "Magnetix building sets manufacturer to pay $1.1 million penalty." http://www.wickedlocal.com/danvers/archive/x547385706/Magnetix-building-sets-manufacturer-to-pay-1-1-million-penalty

November 10, 2011: CPSC issues warning about harm caused by high-powered magnets that are marketed as stress relievers and desk toys. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12037.html

March 2012: Operation needed after Buckyballs accident. http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/operation-needed-after-buckyballs-accident/2482452.aspx

These are not good to have in the house if you have small children. If a baby swallows a strong magnet it can pierce their intestines.

BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE KIDS! A YOUNG TEEN WAS ALMOST KILLED AND YOUNGER KIDS HAVE BEEN INJURED BY THESE. The teen was using these as a mouth piercing fake. She swollowed several and they impeeded her intestine by pinching it together. same with the younger kids.

They sold lawn jarts for years before they took them off the market. Even as a kid, I knew these were STUPID. Same with these magnets. It might be fun in an office on a desk, but those will NOT come in my house! My kids are older (10, 11) but kids still are kids and it isnt worth the risk!

Sounds like there are alot of overprotective mothers on here that probably dont let their kids play any contact sports. oooh football is dangerous, not enough pads. Let them LIVE, DO NOT let them inhale their toys.

Let me get this straight... These two cubes combined measure 3 centimeters by 6 centimeters? And cost $39.99?.(shipped)

That semms like alot for such small balls.

The Orange ones are my favorite flavor.

claytonknudsen wrote:They sold lawn jarts for years before they took them off the market. Even as a kid, I knew these were STUPID. Same with these magnets. It might be fun in an office on a desk, but those will NOT come in my house! My kids are older (10, 11) but kids still are kids and it isnt worth the risk!

Depends on the child, but you are right...better safe than sorry.

On the other hand, eventually children will be exposed to all sorts of dangerous things so teaching them to be aware of danger is actually more important than removing all possible dangers forever.... I mean most people take the safe caps out of thier wall sockets at some point as well as silverware cabinet locks as well.

When to do that depends on the child of course. Due to the very small size of these, i could see where ingestion is a very possible danger especially for young children.

Hi,

I was just wondering if these were packaged individually, as i wanted to keep1 and give 1 as a gift, but I dont want it to look like they are getting an open box, etc.

thanks in advance, everyone !

conantroutman wrote:The Orange ones are my favorite flavor.

I hear the next generation will be available in regular and extra chewy.

Check out a few magnetic ball creations at these links:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/magnetspheres/pool/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1942705@N21/pool/

Enjoy!

novastarj wrote:Just pointing out that it is inappropriate to file a report that Woot is selling a recalled product when in fact this version of the product has not been recalled (and is abiding by the proper federal standards).

Though honestly, children die every day in tragic and avoidable accidents. It's incredibly sad. But this doesn't mean every product that could potentially kill should not be sold. It only means parents must be responsible with any purchases they make that are potentially dangerous. This product is clearly not a children's toy (and it is very explicitly labelled in that way).

The only thing inappropriate here is the sale of this dangerous product. Hopefully the CPSC will review and determine if you are correct. Either way, I feel good about reporting today's sale to them and encourage others to do the same to generate enough noise to bring it to their attention.

rochelle017 wrote:Hi,

I was just wondering if these were packaged individually, as i wanted to keep1 and give 1 as a gift, but I dont want it to look like they are getting an open box, etc.

thanks in advance, everyone !

I would assume the bucky balls themselves would be individually wrapped, the cases may be individually wrapped as well.

rochelle017 wrote:Hi,

I was just wondering if these were packaged individually, as i wanted to keep1 and give 1 as a gift, but I dont want it to look like they are getting an open box, etc.

thanks in advance, everyone !

I can't verify for certain as I am not woot, but when I purchased my 2-fer sets, they were each separate (as in 3 2-fer sets = 6 separate items in 6 separate cases).

Does anyone know where I can get a free shipping coupon or 5 off? Tried other websites but none of them work.

kevinlara wrote:Does anyone know where I can get a free shipping coupon or 5 off? Tried other websites but none of them work.

Most woot coupons are tied to their accounts and thus, no one could give you one.

I meant to add in my previous review-- The flaking seems to be an issue with the colored balls only. The original (I believe this is the Chrome one, not the "Silver" one...) doesn't seem to have that issue in my experience.

jezebelseven wrote:Most woot coupons are tied to their accounts and thus, no one could give you one.

Thank you for the info...

bduchouq wrote:The only thing inappropriate here is the sale of this dangerous product. Hopefully the CPSC will review and determine if you are correct. Either way, I feel good about reporting today's sale to them and encourage others to do the same to generate enough noise to bring it to their attention.

I don't follow your logic.

kevinlara wrote:Does anyone know where I can get a free shipping coupon or 5 off? Tried other websites but none of them work.

I echo what was said about coupons being tied to accounts, but the one exception is the super awesome "TAXSUCKS" code.

Only usable when an item costs $40 or more (so you'd need to buy 2 sets of this) and you live in a state where tax is charged on orders.

An entertaining reddit thread about the Zen Magnet - Bucky Ball war of 2011

novastarj wrote:I echo what was said about coupons being tied to accounts, but the one exception is the super awesome "TAXSUCKS" code.

Only usable when an item costs $40 or more (so you'd need to buy 2 sets of this) and you live in a state where tax is charged on orders.

Thank you...

just an fyi =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Tka4NUmUo

Comparison between Buckyballs and Zen Magnets

biggoron wrote:Simple. keep them away from your kids!

God help people that own firearms

Im gonna guess hardcore Democrat. Am I right? Just sayin.

People own (and have the right to own) numerous products that can be dangerous if mishandled or misused. It is the responsibility of the Gun or Buckyball owner to properly store these items to prevent misuse. Yes accidents happen and they are tragic, but in most cases there are safety precautions that could have been implemented to prevent injury.

chester5 wrote:I am a school counselor and have the square Buckycubes on my desk. The students (middle and high school) LOVE THESE!!!!! If you have a teenager and are looking for a unique gift...get these!

My daughter (17) has severe anxiety disorder and I can vouch for these being a great distraction for her while she calms herself. The anxiety program she attended bought a dozen sets after seeing my daughter with hers.

cbfitz06 wrote:Im gonna guess hardcore Democrat. Am I right? Just sayin.

People own (and have the right to own) numerous products that can be dangerous if mishandled or misused. It is the responsibility of the Gun or Buckyball owner to properly store these items to prevent misuse. Yes accidents happen and they are tragic, but in most cases there are safety precautions that could have been implemented to prevent injury.

Democrat yes.

And my point is exactly that. Lots of things are dangerous. Household cleaners are dangerous, guns, knives, buckyballs, all dangerous to children if not properly secured.

The lesson, lock it up, or watch your kids.

nothing like Buckyballs to bring out the political outrage.

These are very dangerous for young children if they swallow them. In fact, some children have died when the Buckeyballs stick together in their intestines. Be very careful around children.

I bought a large set of bucky balls from woot maybe 4 months ago and have a warning. I am a bit of a magnet nut and have....well, tons of magnets. I have also purchased other magnet ball sets similar to bucky balls before ever having purchased bucky balls. My warning is simply that I was very disappointed with the quality. The magnetic fields and coating of bucky balls are far inferior to other brands such as neocubes or zen magnets (both of which I own, again...magnet nut). So keep that in mind, bucky balls are cheaper but you are getting what you pay for in this situation for sure.

i keep hearing echos in here

bduchouq wrote:The only thing inappropriate here is the sale of this dangerous product. Hopefully the CPSC will review and determine if you are correct. Either way, I feel good about reporting today's sale to them and encourage others to do the same to generate enough noise to bring it to their attention.

Another person trying to have the goverment overstep their bounds.. These magnets are properly labeled and warning and are not subject to recall. Many of us here are adults and know how to read a warning. So if you have young kids, perhaps you shouldnt buy them, but as an adult I should be allowed to purchase them as I see fit.. Im tired of hearing "but its for the children" defense. Perhaps that you should teach your kids some common sense. By making anything that can be dangerous if misused illegal, you are trying to rubber bumper the world with the goverment as the parent... Shame on you

Obviously the only solution here is to remove the magnetic quality of these WMDs (weapons of minute destruction).

So if you swallow something and it hurts you, it should be banned? I guess I need to get rid of my drill bits, shaving razors, sewing needles, Drano, Clorox, cat litter, soldering equipment (has lead!), and my gerbil.

Or maybe I just won't let anyone eat this stuff. If you are 14 and up like the label says (or in my opinion, old enough to speak) and still swallow random spheres, this might be the only way for you to learn a valuable lesson!