The new CPSIA act
January 11, 2009 by kellys
Filed under baby products, budget, financial matters, shopping, toys
AS you all know, I love my resales shops. Mom of 14 asked me if I thought the new CPSIA Act that was signed into law last year by President Bush that would require any toy sold to be tested for lead, among other things, would affect my resale shop. Funny she should ask that as I just recently got an announcement from my local shop dealing with just that very thing.
Dear Valued Customer,As you may have heard in the news or through online blogs, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040) was signed into law in August 2008. This act is referred to as the CPSIA. To view the Act, click here. In summary, beginning February 10, 2009 all children’s products that are sold must not exceed a specified lead content. What this potentially means is —- may not be able to buy and sell untested merchandise!
The law is very vague as to how OR if it applies to resale retailers like —-. We are working diligently with associations and legal council to ensure we can continue to provide a place for you to buy & sell gently used kids stuff. We know it is important for you to be able to recycle your gently used toys and clothing as well as to buy low-cost, high quality items that you can currently find at our store.
With Congress back in session this week, it provides us with an opportunity to communicate concerns about this law to the respective Senators and Representatives. The timing is perfect for us to raise our voices! If you want to alert your congressmen about your concerns click here, we have created a template that you may use if you so choose. To find your respective elected officials, go to www.congress.org. Under “My Elected Officials”, simply type in your zip code.
We will keep you posted as we learn more about the affect of CPSIA on our business. Thank you for your time,
I am looking at this 2 ways, I love buying and selling at my local resale shop, but I also want to know that they toys I buy are safe for my kids. So I am happy that this will make sure my kids are safe. I have been a little leary of buying ANYTHING these days and was happy to hear about the new law. Life should be interesting soon.
my concern is not so much with the resale of toys…most kids are as happy with a big ol box…mom’s plastic ware, etc. kids can do without a lot of toys…my concern is for those who desperately need the low cost clothing the thrift stores sell. with the economy the way it is, it’s desperate times for many families and this is their only means of putting decent clothes on their kids backs. my understanding was that it’s also going to affect the resale of clothing. while i understand why they’re doing the safety checks, it’s almost unrealistic…i’m not going to dump (or whatever we’re supposed to do) my childrens’ clothes becasue they haven’t been safety rated and go out and buy all new at an inflated price (they’re going to pass on the costs of testing to the consumers). they’ve already BEEN wearing them!!!! believe me, i’m as safety minded and protective of my little skittles as the next mom…i just think this should be our right to choose as parents…not because the government is forcing us into something. i know i sound like i’m ranting here….i’m just VERY upset about this. we have some awesome thrift stores in my area where i can find all the name brands in like new condition..gymboree; carters; childrens place; gap;…for $1 and sometimes even lower!!! also, with the economy the way it is, is this really the time to force resale shops and thrift stores into bankruptcy/store closings…MORE unemployment??????? geeeeeeeeesh…i’m going to run out and stock up on some next size ups until they start receiving enough “tagged” clothes to resell. there goes all my ebaying. i’m depressed.
I never thought about it dealing with clothing. Just toys. Interesting POV, mom of 14. I’ll call and ask.
if you go to http://www.babycheapskate.com you can read a lot of the articles on it. a friend of mine told me she thought from reading some of the readers’ posts that it might not affect thrift/resale…i haven’t had time to read all of them. i know the CPSIA is definitely supposed to involve all new clothing…they said it’ll have a big tag in it saying it’s been tested and approved. funny thing is, all those pajamas that were made flame retardant were treated with chemicals that’ll now be banned. fire safety or chemical safety…oyyyy.