I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts lately about CPSIA. I admit I had no idea what it was and mostly just moved past those posts and on to something else. But the other day I paused long enough to read one, and now it has me concerned.
CPSIA stands for “Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act” and while its basic aim of improving the safety of products made for kids is important, recent news of an update may cripple small mom-run, handmade businesses and drive prices up. It’s like reading textbooks to me and I can’t make heads or tails of it.
I don’t have all the information, nor have I done thorough research, but from what I gather, in light of all the problems with the lead based paint in toys from China, the act is to be revised to require ALL items for children comply with certain testing requirements for not only toys, but all items made for children. This testing will likely be costly and prevent the average person selling handmade items from continuing their craft.
I’m not sure what this does for garage sales, eBay, and other used toy and clothing venues, but I’ve read that unless you can prove the tests were done on the stuff YOU sell, you can’t sell it, even if it has a brand name on it. So you won’t be able to resell your kids stuff when they are done with it.
If what have read about these limitations are true, I believe we are taking this a bit too far. I believe we should protect our children, but where does parental responsibility begin and government regulation end? My kids is far more at risk simply getting in my car than by wearing or playing with an item made by a work-at-home mom trying to make a living or by me buying clothes at a garage sale. I believe in quality controls but I also believe that if I can’t afford to buy new, or don’t consider the cost of new clothes worth the short time they wear it before outgrowing it, that I should be able to buy them from my neighbor at their garage sale. I can just picture poor little great-grandma making a scarf for her great-grandson only to be arrested because she never had it tested for lead.
I would rather see small toy-makers and clothing makers have to put a disclaimer on their items that they have not been tested and let me, the consumer, make the decision. Enough jobs have been lost in this economy, let’s not hurt the American family any more than we already have.
There is a group called the Handmade Toy Alliance that is attempting to help save the handmade industry. They have all kinds of resources and links and suggestions for things we can do to help fight the changes to CPSIA that require full compliance 35 days from today, on February 10, 2009.
One way you can help is to sign the petition to save handmade toys and children’s products from the CPSIA. I signed it – I am #8426.
I am curious to know how many of you who will be affected by this have already taken measures to make the necessary changes, how many will just cease operating, and how many will simply conduct business as usual because regulation is one thing but enforcement is a whole other topic.
Update: You can now vote on this issue on change.org: Save Small Business From the CPSIA. Also, if you have a blog, embed the widget to encourage others to help vote. Right now, this issue is one of the 10 slated to be presented at the change.org event in Washington D.C.
About Kim
I’ve already made the announcement that I will be shutting down my boutique this month.
If things change, I may consider reopening, but with the law the way it is, there’s just no way I can afford to do the testing.
Thank you for your post! I have a good bit of info on my blog, as well as can direct you to great sites! http://blog.mamaslittlemonkeys.com
I am in a wait and see mode, but will most likely need to stop selling tutus since I mostly make them for kids. I am pretty upset about it.
This will effect me too. On my business site I offer buttons, magnets and even personalized candy wrappers, which are often used as party favors. I will have to refuse sales of “child related” events/occasions and only offer wedding, anniversary and “adult” occasions. That is going to hurt my business BIG TIME. I cannot afford testing either.
One of my largest customers orders 800 – 1,000 buttons each year for their school around the holidays. We NEED the profits from that order to help pay for the holidays. Without that order we won’t have the $$$ for gifts, holiday foods and things like that.
I agree we need to protect our children but the problem lies with the stuff we get from other countries, not so much at home.
Thank you for posting this!! This bill was passed so fast and under the radar of everyone. This is going to affect soooo many things it sickens me. Good Will & the Salvation Army will no longer be able to see old clothes w/o the special label in them. I am soooo confused on why the national media hasn’t gotten a hold of this.
I’ve awarded you honey :)
http://www.crazyadventuresinparenting.com/2009/01/award-time.html
I’m going to have to stop selling my items, because there’s no way I can afford the tests.
I urge everyone reading this to visit the government website, and do some research on this…then tell everyone you know and start contacting your congressmen and demand they make amendments to this law. I can tell you I have researched it, and as it stands now, EVERY item manufactured for children under 12 MUST be tested for lead and phthalates before it can be sold after 2/10/09. Anything that does not have a certificate, is considered a banned hazardous substance, and subject to a fine of $100,000 and/or up to 5 years in jail PER OFFENSE. And yes, this does apply to used clothes and toys too…it was well intentioned, but they made it too over-reaching and now affects everything. Books, clothes, toys, shoes, diaper bags…you name it, if it’s for a child under 12, it is subject to this new law. Just search the web for CPSIA…you will see the govt site, and a lot of other sites with info. Also visit http://nationalbankruptcyday.com
this is an activist site, started by the industries which will be driven out of business if this law stands as written. Congress should actually define the types of items/materials which should be tested, because their very makeup could contain lead. But last time I checked, there has never been a 100% cotton t-shirt contaminated with lead. This is Washington run amok!
I’m still sitting in a wait and see mode. I wish I could say I knew more but I have no idea how this is going to affect me. Most of my income is through Cafepress which does sell children’s items, which are my best sellers. CafePress has been pretty closed mouth on the subject. So either they aren’t expecting this to go over as badly as everyone is saying or they are panicking behind the scenes.
They’ve opened back up voting on change.org’s website – top 10 causes get presented before Obama. I hope this is one of them. Too many people will go without, moreso than should, for something they didn’t even cause if this isn’t changed immediately.
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia