CPSC & CPSIA new laws bad fo all handmade children's items

[#1]

I posted this originally at ETSY NJ & plan on posting it everywhere I can.
The CPSC & CPSIA new law guidelines effect most of us - sign or start a PETITION NOW.
All of us should support each other and stand united to get exclusions or amendments or extensions for compliance referencing USA handmade products and small batch items to this new law by writing to our public officials. Even if none of your items are made directly for children ... Can you imagine an ETSY, FireArt, 1000 Markets, a local craft show or eBay without any children's items in it?

This is effectively THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHILDREN'S PRODUCT RECALL ever imagined. But without the option of returning the items for refund or replacement.

THIS NEW CPSIA WILL EFFECT ALL OF US that sell ANY products that can be consider for children. Not just toys and jewelry, but CLOTHING, ROOM DECOR, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, EDUCATIONAL AIDS, ART WORK, ART SUPPLIES, PILLOWS, HAIR BOWS so on & etc. if it is made for someone 12 & under to use it will be subject to the certified testing. Even HAND-ME-DOWNS as resales or vintage items will be subject to the testing. To read the whole "brief", 67 pages long, requires some basic law education but you can get the gist of it in the CPSIA's FAQ section http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html#educational

This new law is blindsiding us by giving very little notice to comply to it, if we're even able to provide the proofs the the CPSC wants. It's been so under the radar the ETSY doesn't have a STORQUE article on it yet. Niether has eBay or most of the other online seller's outlets even mention the new law. I think there waiting for after the holidays to tells us that lots of the items we bought are now effectively illegal and that we should of never given them to our children in the first place. There should be some type of grandfathering clause included that parents shouldn't have to shell out more good money if they feel their child is in danger just because the government said the product is not longer safe.

This will put quite a few of us out of business. Even larger companies are having problems complying with the deadline or the batch material testing requirements. Here a set of excerpts from a recent CPSIA hearing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUlY6zOMPqQ, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlMh7MJiodY&feature=related, & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk0Vr0yDrXc&feature=related.

Don't just believe that the legislation will change on it's own, do something to let your voice be heard. Write a congressperson, tell ETSY what you feel about this law, blog about it, just get your voice heard by CPSIA that the law is impractical and bias towards small & cottage industries. People for a Greener Earth should also take up this issue since it will put an end to reusing durable children's products outside of the immediate hand me down process, sending tons of good resalable items to landfills.

Many items that were legal this holiday season will be banned come Feb. 10, 2009 regardless of if the child's product was a handheld video game by a super multinational corporation, a made in the USA pair of jeans from a local mom & pop retailer, or one of the fantastic wooden toys available at ETSY shops because it failed testing & needs to be reworked or wasn't tested yet. This means it would even be illegal and punishable by fines and jail time to resell or reuse, outside your own home, those items in anything that that would be for a child unless they were previously tested. So no one, even a consumer looking to green up the Earth a little, could list a child's items as vintage piece at ETSY or a sell it as used on eBay or at a garage sale without it having the the testing done.

Generals threads for any one :
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5938698
http://www.ipetitions.com/
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?messageID=511163411&forumID=124&x#511163411

for toy makers :
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
http://grecowoodcrafting.wordpress.com/

for children's clothing, doll clothes, hair bows, and accessory makers :
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5935443
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/

If you know of any more threads and sites that address the issue PLEASE post them here. To be informed is to be forewarned. Especially if this means you will have to close shop and retool your business towards something that doesn't deal with any children's products.

[Antiquebasketlady]

check this out everyone...

http://nsf.org/business/toy_testing/CPSIA.pdf

[Antiquebasketlady]

We need to comment NO LATER than Jan 30

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/ComponentPartsComments.pdf

[Antiquebasketlady]

up for others to read

[Former_Member]

I hope fabric and supply sellers also recognize the impact this will have on their business as well. Many etsy children's sellers buy their supplies on etsy.

[Antiquebasketlady]

I so agree....dolce....

[Former_Member]

Even think of the impact to bigger suppliers...Amy Butler, Michael Miller, ect...I hope they have a clue, but I am guessing not. This will make a huge dent to their sales..

[Antiquebasketlady]

Oh my I didn't think of that!

[Antiquebasketlady]

up for more others to see

[Former_Member]

marking

[Former_Member]

This law does not effect me personally, but I think it is insane. I just sent off several emails to various TV networks. I can't believe that I have never heard anything about this law. I can't believe how they have dropped the ball on this issue. A few hundred more emails might get them to stand up and take notice. If you want to change this law, make it politically costly for the government. The best way to do this is by getting the media to jump on board and start making some noise. I'd say get everyone you know to email the networks and demand that they cover the story. It may do some good.

My prayers will be with everyone who will be hurt by this law.

[Former_Member]

As for labeling it not for use by anyone under 12, I read an article today (sorry do not have the link), anyway a lawyer said that is not legal to do. I don't think we can count on this bill getting reversed, it is popular because of the problems we have had and still do with the products that are on the market now. And as for the inventory that is already on the shelves, to the dump it shall go, now that makes a lot of sense. We are just getting aware of a "green" world and here we are about to do massive damage. sigh

[thetrendytot]

Thanks for keeping this issue on the front burner in the forums!! It's so important!

[Former_Member]

Marking for reference. I will be contacting my Congressman this week.

[sewgrandmacathy]

Thank you for the updates~~~~

[Former_Member]

http://www.patriotledger.com/opinions/x845827383/New-law-to-put-thousands-out-of-work

[Former_Member]

maplestreetcreations says:
what about the soap maker??? I havent seen anything posted about the products we use. Do you think we are
dare I say exempt from this law??

I'm not sure, but what I would guess is that your soap is okay, but your ducks will need to be tested. I think.

[Former_Member]

sarahrose says:
Even think of the impact to bigger suppliers...Amy Butler, Michael Miller, ect...I hope they have a clue, but I am guessing not. This will make a huge dent to their sales..

Some of the fabric suppliers, Westminster (AB) specifically, already do lead testing, so it hopefully wouldn't be too much of a stretch to get them to issue compliance certifications IF we can get the law to allow component testing. For the others, if we ALL put pressure on them maybe they will test as well. But we need to get component testing allowed first!!

[Former_Member]

Oo that was me! I write that article Brenda posted!

[Former_Member]

I wrote, I meant. Sigh. I will stop monopolizing the thread now.

[Antiquebasketlady]

marking

[Former_Member]

I just heard this news! I also heard though that fabrics are exempt. Does anyone know if any other websites with reliable information on the subject?

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Pickleheadbaby, Where did you hear fabrics are exempt? They are voting on perhaps exempting natural, unadulterated, unprocessed natural fabrics. That means, no dyes.

[Antiquebasketlady]

up for others

[Former_Member]

and poor families will be hit the hardest...

when raising my daughter as a single mom, I relied on 2nd hand clothing from the charity shops and yard sales to clothe her! She ended up having NICER clothes and more clothes than if I only had the option of going to even the el cheapo big box stores.

An example is that every year or two, (depending on how fast she was growing) I could get a really nice (worn ONCE) "Easter dress" from the SA store or a yard sale, and she'd get several wearings out of it, for birthday parties and other biggish family events... These dresses usually ran me about $5...maybe $10 at most, an to buy the same dress new was OVER $20.

The dress she'd wear 5-10 times, would then get handed down, donated or sold in a yard sale, still in excellent condition.

If I hadn't had the charity shops and yard sales, my daughter wouldn't have had enough clothes, let alone a good collection of clothes that were often NICER than what I would have been able to buy at the box store.

[Former_Member]

About fabrics, the CPSC has proposed exempting natural materials - natural fibers and wood and some gemstones/precious metals - from the lead content ban applicable to children's products. But the items cannot be dyed, processed, treated, etc.

There is also an exemption in the flammable fibers act for certain fibers. That does exempt those fibers from the flamambility testing requirements, but NOT the lead content.

There is also a provision in the nursery durable goods that those provisions do not apply to textiles. Again, that provision does NOT exempt textiles from lead content if used in a children's product.

As for soap, true soap is regulated by the CPSC, not the FDA. If it is a beauty bar (cosmetic), then it is subject to the FDA and is not subject to the CPSIA. If it is a true soap under the CPSC's jurisdiction, and if it is intended for children under the age of 12, then it must meet the lead content ban too.

Jennifer
www.thesmartmama.com