Will you test your components/products?

[Former_Member]

So far most people seem to either be of 3 camps:
-closing
--status quo despite the law
---wait and see

Who is doing testing (or has)?

[Former_Member]

Wait and see.

[Former_Member]

I will not be testing, but I am located in Canada and I will cease to ship to the USA and I will be pulling all of my wholesale accounts in the USA until the law is changed.

[PearlyGrey]

I am seeing, but not waiting around. I am sewing more baby stuff and filling some orders...Calling and writing who I need to have listen to me and going to meetings to try to clear things up.

Wait a minute, didn't I see you on the news tonight??

[Former_Member]

Hey PearlyGrey, didnt I see you this morning.
haha.

Yeah I am not testing, I am eliminating items that are :high risk" and then waiting it out for the rest.
There is still so much not clear about all of this.

[Former_Member]

Continuing business as usual here, couldn't afford the testing even if I thought it was ethically necessary. CPSIA's belief in alchemy doesn't change my certainty that my products are safe.

I've got other things to worry about at the moment, ds has a doctor's appointment on Friday plus which one of my fillings broke this morning and the dentist can't see me until next Wednesday! :-(

[Former_Member]

tested

[Former_Member]

My interest and that of many individual crafters is in knitted or crocheted toys. I talked to the comsumer safety people who told me these items fall within the new updated law. The concern is the dye used in yarn. Personally I find the whole thing rediculous as it applies to this area of toy making. I made knit items for eight years for the most vuneralbe, premature infants in our county hospital. Not once during that time was any baby made ill by wearing or sucking an item made of yarn. The initial idea was a good one, but the law was written by a congress that has no idea of the amount of charity work that goes on over this country and involves knit and crochet items. It appears from responsed to e mail sent senators over the country that they are waiting for the 111 congress to be seated to amend the law and try to cover some of the public concerns.

[Former_Member]

Yvonne the CPSC seems to be in a situation where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I have a disclaimer in my shop policies with a link from the National Textile Association stating that there is no lead in fabric or yarn, I found it on the CPSC website! And yet they still want us to test. It's beyond ridiculous.

[Former_Member]

Turtleparktots---

Wow, you're already advertising that your products are CPSIA compliant...the law has not even gone into effect yet...so that is what its going to be like. Over on Fashion incubator the moderator spoke about the industry marketing tool that CPSIA certification would become---less about actual safety and instead more about the increase of business profit by playing upon the fears of parents. In her opinion this alone more so than concerns over prosecution by the CPSC would be the reason that many small businesses would end up complying.

The big box stores aren't even advertising their CPSIA compliance yet...wow...

...so which is it folks? Are we protesting as a group and bemoaning the existence of the act because of money, which translates to us agreeing with the assumption that the act makes regarding our goods as somehow being inherently dangerous until proven "innocent"--- in which case concerns over money should never be a reason to compromise public health and we should just be quiet and get tested.

... or are we protesting something much deeper, starting with the overall premise of the law which in essence leaves us as small business owners with the full onus of certifying goods that should have been tested prior to being sold.

...I don't believe that we can have it both ways.

...because if its just an issue of money...we should scrap all of our efforts and at the most, ask for congress to approve a nifty little testing assistance program for small business owners in order that we may test our most likely lead free items to make sure that they're lead free.

...if it's a concern regarding the over regulation of small businesses and our right to continue with our livelihood providing safe items without fear of being punished for the dangerous mistakes of poorly regulated imported goods

...then perhaps we shouldn't be so anxious to extoll that which we do not agree with because even if we must take interim measures to stay afloat in these times...bragging about it seems a little um...yeah.

[Former_Member]

Well heck......

If the government gave testing assistance to all small business, micro business and family own cottage business nation wide, placing Free Testing Facilities in small cities as well as large cities. I could probably see my way to test my products.......

But I still think the best way to do this is component testing instead of finished product testing. And then giving Free Testing Aid to those that make the individual components within the US regardless the size of their business, including individuals who make their products from start to finish.

And instead of marking each individual item with permanent label(as tiny as some components are that is a ridiculous requirement), the people who make the components could issue a certificate stating their items have been tested for lead and whatever else they are tested and are well within the limit for said item or they could put the certificate on the internet and people can download the information when need.

As far as sellers outside of the US, they should be able to sell as long as they have the same types of certificates that the US is using to verify that their items fall within the US lead/other restrictions.

I shouldn't have to worry that if something is Label: Made in China, that it might be hazardous to me or my children health. From what I read, China Lead Restrictions are suppose to tighter than our own...

They should not have been allow to make and sell products to other countries that were not up to safety standards.... I shouldn't have to worry about buying and making something to sell, the items should already be in compliance with our Federal and State Laws.

If our government had been enforcing our laws the way they were suppose to, we wouldn't have this new law threatening our lives and lively hoods.....

Enough raving from me for now...... :0)

[BarkAveBoutique]

Can't afford to test..so I will not be selling anything for children!

[Former_Member]

I won't be selling to the US I'm afraid. All other countries but America.

[Former_Member]

Ittybitty, I saw that, too. I was aghast. I suppose after paying money to get some worthless testing done, perhaps one would feel the need to give ones items an equally worthless stamp of approval?

[Former_Member]

For what it's worth, I XRF tested all my fabrics and supplies, and except for pearlized buttons and a couple that were red dyed, everything is in A+++ status. So the worth to me is that I can continue to sew without a heavy albatross (CPSIA) around my neck, and if the government comes knocking on my door, I'll have some documentation to show them. What I'm doing is buying time to sell until August, but also, after seeing almost untraceable amounts of lead in the supplies I use, I can stand by my products without any doubt.

[Former_Member]

The big box stores aren't even advertising their CPSIA compliance yet...wow...
------

Not true. I was in Target yesterday and there was a sign up stating that all toys are their shelves meet the new CPSIA regulations. They also have a new organic section on an end-cap and people were all over it. Some things were already sold out. Big box stores are on top of this issue.

[Former_Member]

Sorry for the extra post but I just wanted to say littlerascals3 you have the cutest things! I wish I had a little girl.

[Former_Member]

cant afford to test ill be switching my product line

[Former_Member]

My components have already been tested. Paint, sealants and adhesives can not be sold in the U.S. if they contain lead. It has been a law since September 2, 1977. Why should I need to do anything?

[Former_Member]

I'm looking into XRF testing some of my items, but this will only "qualify" until August. Not sure what I will do yet.

[Former_Member]

Thanks bipsy - Ditto to you!

[Former_Member]

I know I am singing to the choir and sorry to sound so testy. I am sending the last letter that I will do today. I am too stressed and I need to pay attention to the business.

[Former_Member]

Turtlepark how could you afford that? Was it just with the XRF or whatever gun?? What abt the phosphate thing??

[Former_Member]

Haven't tested... Waiting and seeing. Trying to get published. Then agian don't the book publishers have the same problem?

[Former_Member]

I am doing XRF testing of my components. And I will be stating in my shop as such once they are tested.

IttyBitty - I am really surprised that you are chastising another seller for listing that they tested their items. You can fight the law AND comply with it. It is not one or the other.

The concept of a theoretical marketing edge aside, stating that you are CPSIA compliant or XRF tested isn't a smite at other sellers. It's a statement of fact about your products.