Updated: Second hand toys and clothes are in trouble

[gcooper]

Not sure if this as been posted somewhere but there is a new consumer law coming out to protect children under 12. Will it has went to the extreme. I got this from another site and thought I would share with everyone here.

There was a thread recently about a new consumer law that will effectively put handmade toymakers out of business because of requirements for very expensive testing for lead and other chemicals; well, apparently, that is going to apply to used clothing and toys, too--meaning that if you buy clothing or toys for your kids off of EBay, from consignment shops/sales or thrift stores, you won't be able to after Feb 10 and many of those stores will probably go out of business because they will have to throw out or do expensive testing on every item in their inventory. Etsy? Hyena Cart? The big consignment sales? Gone, if this isn't changed. This is crazy! Congress wrote a law that was supposed to protect kids, which was a good idea in theory, but it was poorly written and passed too quickly without considering the HUGE negative impact it would have on small and home-based businesses.

Here are some articles/blogs explaining in more detail:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story
http://www.kcbs.com/Thrift-Stores--New-Child-Product-Safety-Laws-Too-C/3593358
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/01/03/hand-me-down-clothes-in-the-post-hand-me-down-era-consumer-protectionism-gone-too-far/
http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2009/01/end-of-kiddie-consignment-shops.html

Proposal from the Handmade Toy Alliance for changes to the CPSIA:
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/Home/our-proposal-to-modify-the-cpsia

What you can do:
Write to your Congressperson: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Write to your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Write to the CPSC (they do not have the authority to change the law, but have some leeway in how they enforce it): http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx
The Handmade Toy Alliance has a sample letter here: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/how-you-can-help
Post about this on your blog or webpage, if you have one. Spread the word!

[faeryedark]

Yeah,I just saw this and was gonna post it, ya beat me to it. I'm not happy as I 99% of our cloths used and I buy some toys @ yardsales esp. vintage Legos. You can bet I'm writing everyone multiple letters.

[sati769leigh]

Lets face it, who is REALLY behind this thing!!! Walmart, target, toy makers, cothing manufacturers. this is NOT about safety. if it was then they would not allow people with kids to live in houses built before a certain time period because of the likelihood of lead paint still in the house or in the soil around the house. this is ridiculous. parents are perfectly capable of testing toys themselves. it isnt toys and clothing that are likely to cause lead poisoning. it is paint chipping and things like that. old pipes in houses. this actually ticks me off because i know someone going out of business if this is upheld.

[cens0rship]

Thank you for bringing this to light here. It has been discussed alot on alot of hair bow forums I am apart of and I most likely will be effected by it. I sell on etsy and in some local boutiques but with barely belong able to afford the cost of living, let alone supplies there is no way i'll be able to do the testing required. Sati I completely agree with you.

Please contact some of the people listed and let them know your dissatisfaction as we all are trying to our part to stop this from going into effect .

[coupielover]

Lets face it, who is REALLY behind this thing!!! Walmart, target, toy makers, cothing manufacturers. this is NOT about safety. if it was then they would not allow people with kids to live in houses built before a certain time period because of the likelihood of lead paint still in the house or in the soil around the house. this is ridiculous. parents are perfectly capable of testing toys themselves. it isnt toys and clothing that are likely to cause lead poisoning. it is paint chipping and things like that. old pipes in houses. this actually ticks me off because i know someone going out of business if this is upheld.

Very well put!

If it weren't for hand-me-downs and thrift stores, my kids would be naked playing with pots and pans!

[sati769leigh]

Very well put!

If it weren't for hand-me-downs and thrift stores, my kids would be naked playing with pots and pans!

i hope they are not hand me down pans and you have lead tested them lady!! LOL

my son would be naked too. almost ALL of his clothes are from resale shops and garage sales. who can afford a growing 5 year olds clothes brand new in the REAL world?

[heartse]

we get most of DD's clothes at the consignement sale, not to mention, recoup the costs by selling her old stuff. That's just insane that they could make that kind of stuff a no-no.

[kimandkathess]

I was just gonna say, are we not going to be able to have yard sales anymore or shop at the salvation army or st. pauls, who help out a lot of people with their second hand items??????? People are trying to save money here in these desperate times and the government is making it so hard.!!!!!

Grrrr..
Katrina

[bluezoo5]

This is ridiculous!

I was watching a Nightline report the other night where they had a "professional" assessing the lead content of toys at dollar-type stores, and he was using a handheld scanning device. I don't understand why something like this cannot be made available for home use, so that we don't have to wonder about the status of the toys our kids are playing with. Now that IS something would be helpful in assessing our children's safety.

The only tests that are available to consumers (swab tests) are notoriously inaccurate according to the research I did, and they don't come cheap even at that. I would be willing to pay good money for something like that if it were reliable.

[littlereddeer1]

So what does this mean for yard sales? We can't sell used kids clothes anymore? What will my child wear?