CPSC & CPSIA new laws bad fo all handmade children's items
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Original Post
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 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 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUlY6zOMPqQ, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlMh7MJiodY&feature=related, & 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 :
www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5938698
www.ipetitions.com/
forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?messageID=511163411&forumID=124&x#5...
for toy makers :
www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
grecowoodcrafting.wordpress.com/
for children's clothing, doll clothes, hair bows, and accessory makers :
www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5935443
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.
Posted at 2:50pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
Responses
I really can't stress enough the importance for people to contact their Congressmen and urge them to restructure this legislation.
Goods need to be tested by batch. If I buy a bag of 50 wooden tires and test one, there is no way to know the other 49 came from the same tree. Under this law, each would need to be tested. The testing ranges from several hundred dollars to $4,000 per test.
This is for ALL children's items- anything for a person ages 12 and under, not just toys. Even natural items, such as unfinished wood, cotton and wool are required to be tested beginning February 10th, 2009.
-John
Posted at 3:17pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
It is a law that would very effectively put many small businesses out of business. There can be no doubt that we watch out for the health of our children, but there are better ways of going about it.
Kim
Posted at 4:32pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
Wow, I hadn't heard about this at all. Thanks for posting, I just signed the petition. I'll be out of business before I even get started!
Posted at 4:39pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
This is the first that I have heard about this. Thank you very much for posting it!
I will need to research this further.
Posted at 4:53pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
i signed the petition, this is terrible, as if us small business aren't struggling enough!
Posted at 5:09pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
Attention ETSY sellers do you sell anything listed here
ACCESSORIES
* apron
applique children full half
* belt
buckle cotton leather obi
ribbon sash
* case
cd cell phone eyeglass ipod lip balm
mp3 tissue
* charm
phone charm zipper pull
* cozy
cell phone laptop lip balm mp3
tissue
* cuff
felt leather metal
* eyewear
* gloves
arm warmers fingerless
* hair
bandana barrette bobby pin clip comb
falls headband ponytail scrunchie stick
* hat
animal baby beanie cap children cloche
crochet ear flap knit newsboy pom pom
skullcap snow tam warm
* keychain
beaded fabric floral leather metal
plush ribbon striped toy wood wristlet
* lanyard
cell phone eyeglass id
* leg warmers
baby children knit stripe
* mirror
animal bird flower girl humor nature
promotional retro
* mittens
baby convertible fingerless knit
* necktie
applique silkscreen
* patch
animal art flower food geek humor movie
tv words
* pin
applique art beaded crochet felt flower
* pinback button
animal bird celebrity flower food geek humor
insect love movie nature tree tv
* scarf
applique children chunky cowl crochet fashion
felt felted fleece floral fuzzy handwoven
jersey knit knitting long
multicolor scarflette silk skinny woven
* shawl
capelet poncho shrug silk stole wrap
* wallet
applique chain change felt leather oversized
retro screenprint vinyl
* watch
beaded leather pocket
Did you know that by FEB 9,2009, if any of your products can be used by children 12 years old or younger that you will need to get CPSIA certified testing on the content of your materials to make sure the lead and phthalates levels fall below the CPSC new standards and have labeling with the lab testing certication # and specific batch code attached to each of the products? This testing startes at around $300 per batch. A batch is considered to be a group of a single product that all where made using the same material material lot. In other words if you knit several hats and the yarn used in each has a different production code or dye lot or from different manufactors, even when they look identical, then each single hat is a batch.
I will post as I can what is effected by this new law using the Major ETSY catergories, sub catergories, and popular tags.
The more of us that take action, the faster we can get the CPSC to ammend the law or at least postpone the compliance deadlne.
Posted at 5:11pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
For more bad news on lead & other toxins in products read this. money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/companies/toxic_toys/index.htm?postve...
Notice how it's always the big multinationals causing the problem.
Posted at 6:39pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
Attention ETSY sellers do you sell anything listed here
ART
* aceo
collage digital drawing illustration mixed media
painting photography print printmaking reproduction
* collage
abstract digital original collage painting
paper photo portrait print surreal
* drawing
abstract charcoal digital ink landscape
marker original original drawing pastel
pencil pop portrait print surreal
* fiber art
art doll crochet embroidery felted knitting
needle felted quilt soft sculpture wall hanging
* illustration
abstract charcoal digital fashion ink
landscape marker original illustration pastel
pencil pop portrait print still life surreal
* mixed media
3d altered assemblage book mixed media original
mosaic scrapbooking
* painting
abstract acrylic canvas digital encaustic
gouache landscape oil original painting
pop portrait print reproduction still life
surreal watercolor
* photography
abstract black and white collage cyanotype
digital film landscape lomography macro
nature pinhole polaroid pop portrait
surreal ttv
* print
aquatint collograph digital drypoint engraving
etching giclee gocco letterpress linocut
lithograph mixed media monotype screenprint
stencil woodblock
* reproduction
archival digital giclee illustration limited edition
open edition painting
* sculpture
abstract animal assemblage ceramic clay fiber
figure found object glass metal mixed media
mobile mosaic painted paper people plaster
stone wood
Did you know that by FEB 9,2009, if any of your products can be used by children 12 years old or younger that you will need to get CPSIA certified testing on the content of your materials to make sure the lead and phthalates levels fall below the CPSC new standards and have labeling with the lab testing certication # and specific batch code attached to each of the products? This testing startes at around $300 per batch. A batch is considered to be a group of a single product that all where made using the same material material lot. In other words if you print several digital prints for a child's room and the ink used in each has a different production code or dye lot or from different manufactors, even when they look identical, then each single print is a batch.
I will post as I can what is effected by this new law using the Major ETSY catergories, sub catergories, and popular tags.
The more of us that take action, the faster we can get the CPSC to ammend the law or at least postpone the compliance deadlne.
Posted at 8:10pm Dec 3, 2008 EST
