Another way we can help. RE: CPSIA

JRS72206

Hey ladies. I got this from a friend of mine and thought I would post it here. 

I'm sure many of you have heard about CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act), the new law will make it illegal for parents to resell their gently used kid?s gear thru any venue, come February 10th.


CPSIA will make it illegal for parents to resell their children?s clothing and gear at a garage sale, on eBay, Craig?s List, through consignment stores or annual children?s consignment sales. If donated to a nonprofit like Goodwill or Salvation Army, those organizations can?t legally resell it, as of February 10th. That?s right. Hand-me-down clothing for kid?s age 12 and under will be illegal to resell. It will be a banned hazardous product. The fines of $100,000, potential jail time and label as a felon for violations are stiff.


Where does the government think all of our children's stuff is going to go? The landfills are going to fill up millions of times faster. I thought we were working toward cleaning up the earth? Reduce Reuse Recycle?? This is insane and has to be stopped. Home made and used items through craigslist, ebay, etsy, even consignments stores should be purchased using common sense. If you can't tell whether an item is safe for your child or not, you shouldn't be buying it.
Use your heads people!

Simply click the link below to read and sign a petition to Congress and enter your own comments

https://www. rallycongress. com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/1471/save-kid-s-clothing-resale-consignment-thrift-stores-from-closing/

 

sunmountain

https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2009 Release #09-086

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

 

CPSC Clarifies Requirements of New Children?s Product Safety Laws Taking Effect in February
Guidance Intended for Resellers of Children?s Products, Thrift and Consignment Stores

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In February 2009, new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) take effect. Manufacturers, importers and retailers are expected to comply with the new Congressionally-mandated laws. Beginning February 10, 2009, children?s products cannot be sold if they contain more than 600 parts per million (ppm) total lead. Certain children?s products manufactured on or after February 10, 2009 cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys.

Under the new law, children?s products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot lawfully be sold in the United States on or after February 10, 2009, even if they were manufactured before that date. The total lead limit drops to 300 ppm on August 14, 2009.

The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children?s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children?s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

The new safety law does not require resellers to test children?s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children?s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.

When the CPSIA was signed into law on August 14, 2008, it became unlawful to sell recalled products. All resellers should check the CPSC Web site (www.cpsc.gov) for information on recalled products before taking into inventory or selling a product. The selling of recalled products also could carry civil and/or criminal penalties.

While CPSC expects every company to comply fully with the new laws resellers should pay special attention to certain product categories. Among these are recalled children?s products, particularly cribs and play yards; children?s products that may contain lead, such as children?s jewelry and painted wooden or metal toys; flimsily made toys that are easily breakable into small parts; toys that lack the required age warnings; and dolls and stuffed toys that have buttons, eyes, noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened and could present a choking hazard for young children.

The agency has underway a number of rulemaking proposals intended to provide guidance on the new lead limit requirements. Please visit the CPSC website at www.cpsc.gov for more information.

 

jen_and_tom

"If you can't tell whether an item is safe for your child or not, you shouldn't be buying it.
Use your heads people!"

 

Can you tell if something has lead in it?  I can't...  Should we also use recalled carseats because it's a waste to destroy them?  

Shame on the government for poor exececution on this legislation but it's about time we started insisting on high standards from manufacturers of children's products.  

JRS72206

jen_and_tom:

"If you can't tell whether an item is safe for your child or not, you shouldn't be buying it.
Use your heads people!"

 

Can you tell if something has lead in it?  I can't...  Should we also use recalled carseats because it's a waste to destroy them?  

Shame on the government for poor exececution on this legislation but it's about time we started insisting on high standards from manufacturers of children's products.  

I totally agree with you. I have to be honest and say I didn't read everything my friend typed before I posted it here. I ALL for the safety of the things we buy for our children. I however do not want people to not be able to buy second hand that need it. Looks like that's not going to be a problem as I just read what was PP.  

jen_and_tom

Sorry I sounded snappy.  The wording around this legislation is incredibly fuzzy (I'm dealing with this in my work life as well).  I just don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak.  I would hate to see small businesses and consumers hurt financially by this.  However, the basic premise of raising our standards is long over due.  These regulations have been in place in Europe for quite some time.

Seattle_JiLLn

raising standards for manufacturers makes sense.  But the thought that it woudl affect resellers of used stuff was absurd.  I'm glad they've clarified that.

 

What I feel bad about is people who do hand crafts like on etsy.  How will that affect them?

JRS72206

Seattle_JiLLn:

What I feel bad about is people who do hand crafts like on etsy.  How will that affect them?

I'm wondering the same thing. I have a lot of friends who are able to stay home thanks to Etsy and Ebay. Hopefully there will be some kind of exception for that too.  

JRS72206

jen_and_tom:

Sorry I sounded snappy.

NP. Didn't take it that way at all. 

jen_and_tom

I do think it's extreme that everything is based off of the sale date as opposed to manufacture date.  In that case, should it be illegal for people to use existing products that they have already purchased?

I'm a bit torn on the etsy piece. I think they should comply but it should not be a great financial burden to test their products.  I think in that case, there needs to be an extremely inexpensive solution for testing.  The new guidelines should not be inhibiting to small business. 

I really hope that people are overreacting now and the nuances of implementing the law will work themselves out.

IdahoGirl

I'm just thinking outloud here....maybe it wouldn't work -

But for the Etsy folks (whom I love and ADORE), they use raw materials to make their products, right?  So....couldn't they just contact the manufacturer to see if they had tested for lead content?  That seems to make sense to me - but maybe I'm not thinking of something that would affect this.

 I sure hope it doesn't shut down Esty - that would break my heart!!!

Seattle_JiLLn

Sure they could, but I doubt that every manufacturer of every product is required to do this testing.   I dont' think all fabric is tested like this is it?  or buttons?  Or hot glue, or WOOD?  I mean, it just seems like it would be really hard to track down this info for everything that goes into your product.

 I just wonder if you couldn't make an exclusion for one of a kind pieces or something where the seller would have to put a sticker on it that says "this is a one of a kind hand crafted item.  As such, it has not been tested for blah blah blah."  And then let the buyer beware?

IdahoGirl

That's true Jill...good idea

iHeartHimMore

IdahoGirl:

?I sure hope it doesn't shut down Esty - that would break my heart!!!

Not possible. ?There's so much more to Etsy than just the kid stuff. ?There are 35,000 pages of jewelry alone! ?Though it would be a shame to see even one whole section go away.?