Will CPSIA affect anyone on this board?

[sidewalks]

I can't find out if it affects consignments and yard sales, but anyone manufacturing products for children (i.e. those home sewn clothes) have to comply by Feb 10. I'm afraid I don't have enough posts on Frugal Village so I'm not allowed to provide any links.

there's a cpsia-central website. Go to fashion-incubator.com for clothing issues. Obviously hand made toys need to comply, anything really, that was made specifically for children. No, it doesn't matter whether the company that made the fabric tested or not. You've made something new.

....someone posted on the tampa bay area craigslist under baby & kids stuff today, saying you couldn't sell come Feb 10, so maybe yard sales and consignments are included. (well, you can sell, but who would with lead tests costing $500 a unit at this point). Really, I need more than someone from Craiglist to interpret legistation as broad as the Clean Water Act. I'll have to do more searching.

[mickee311]

It's going to affect me and many people I know directly and indirectly, as we cloth diaper and buy from WAHMs....Frankly, the mamas I buy from just don't have the funds to get every single little thing they use in the diapers and accessories they make tested like that. It's good that our children are being looked out for, but at the same time, it's going to put a lot of my friends straight out of business and we will be losing great products and CS. Something you don't come across much anymore.

[dcompton]

I know absolutely nothing about this. Is there any kind of definition of manufacturing in the law relating to volume? It seems to stretch the meaning of the word for an individual who occasionally makes a few items to sell.

But I haven't a clue. This is the first I have heard of it.

[sidewalks]

I'm worried about my plans as a future science teacher. If I teach middle school, some great stuff I see out there now won't be available. Due to the cost of testing components and units and due to the low numbers sold, companies will stop selling them. These are responsible companies that are in compliance with current testing, just can't afford to retest in a six month window.

[sidewalks]

I've read if you own a sewing machine, you count. But it seems to me you have to be a business.

Goodwill will be accepting and reselling used children's clothes after Feb 10. They're not-for-profit.

[Bournecrazy]

i found this i hope it helps http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf

there is more info here http://www.cheekyandswank.com/?p=1978

[sidewalks]

Thanks for the websites. Interestingly, large companies may go bankrupt come Feb 10. Rick Woldenberg of Learing Resources calls this National Bankrupcy Day. I'm not talking about the big chains like target or walmart.

The thing is, the law is currently interpreted for lead content testing that is retroactive. Anything being sold right now and under current lead level compliance will be considered hazardous material Feb 10 (lead content, not lead paint, that's a different issue). All products are required to have a certificate PROVING that they are 600 ppm or less lead levels by testing by a resonable standard (those XRF guns will do), but come August it has to be proven using a CPSC certified lab and the guns are not part of that. And the lead level allowed will drop again to 300 ppm.

So big chains don't want the expense of multiple rounds of testing, so many are requiring their vendors to be 300 ppm compliant by a certified CPSC lab Feb 10 The chains will be returning inventory without a certificate up the food chain in January. The manufacturers will be holding inventory they cannot sell, inventory that was ordered before August 14 2008, when the law became in effect, and they will have to default on their loans. It is impossible by the laws of physics to test what some of these larger manufacturers have in the time allowed (Imagine all the different colored beads in those make it yourself craft projects that are sold to girls), and too expsensive for smaller manufacturers, so it's National Bankrupcy Day. These are the good guys, the ones that want to be in compliance, have been in compliance, they sell to schools as well as stores and they really care about the quality of their products.

[Kitchen Mama]

Gee isn't the economy bad enough without making it harder for companies? I see more closures and lay-offs coming with this. In the past week there has been 3 manufacturing plants that will be closing in Jan. and Feb.

[homesteadmamma]

This must be for the States only because I've heard nothing about it for Canada.

[Persimmon Lace]

This was a knee jerk reaction to all the toy scares over the last couple of years. Instead of passing a workable law they are going to put the little guy out of business. It wasn't the little guy who caused the problem it was the large toy makers who went to China for their manufacturing. This smacks of intense lobbying by the big toymakers to make sure the smaller makers are shut down.

Whether you are or you are not affected by this I would suggest a letter to your Congressman/woman. I've already written to all of mine. We don't need anything to worsen the job market, it's bad enough as it is.

[kittykatstrong]

I hope with all the back lash they will change the law. I understand wanting to keep the kids safe but it might just be to broad of a law.

[sidewalks]

It's USA only. I've heard some European toymakers will stop distributing to us, due to the cost. Ironic, since these are the ones parents love to buy from because of their rigorous standards.

[sueh]

Bump.

I just found out about this law. Not sure how I missed it.
But just in case anyone else missed it, here it is.

[MommyBliss]

I am so saddened by this law. I did write to my congresswoman about it and posted about it on my myspace blog. Hopefully, others will commit to trying to change this.

[MRAHoffman]

and was talking the owner about this and a recent article about them in our local newspaper. She gave me the below website and asked me to sign the petition...says they are hearing good feedback. Take care and God bless.

www.handmadetoyalliance.org