Safety for teen gadget-resellers

Their ranks are growing – teenagers selling their electronic gadgets on eBay, craigslist, or MySpace because they need the money to get the latest model, the New York Times reports. "Part of the reason is that households with teenagers typically have 35 consumer electronic products, on average, compared with 24 products at homes with no teenagers." Parents need to know there are safety and privacy issues involved, including the fact that "teenagers may be interacting with strangers in these transactions," the Times points out. For example, if a kid doesn't want to pay to ship an item, s/he may make arrangement to meet a seller in person. Parents may want to review ads before placement too, since teens may unthinkingly include a phone number or address in a craigslist ad.