Rosemont, Palatine flea markets ban sale of eclipse glasses
Wolff's Flea Markets has banned the sale of eclipse glasses from its flea markets this weekend in Rosemont and Palatine, fearing unsafe, counterfeit glasses could be sold.
The market notified 8,000 of its vendors and customers about the ban via email Wednesday, plus posted notices on social media, including to their 14,000 Facebook followers.
"Stores are out of legitimate glasses, so they're going to secondary sources. There's no time for me to do a thorough search (of which brands are safe), and I don't think we should play around with anybody's safety," market manager Sharon Wolff said.
Wolff's is an industry leader in preventing counterfeits from being sold, Wolff said. They also ban the sale of baby furniture and strollers for safety concerns.
A shortage of eclipse glasses has led to problems with people selling counterfeit glasses, which may not properly protect the eyes from looking at the sun. For a list of safe vendors, go to https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters