Comments on: CPSIA: A Threat To Charities and Thrift Stores http://amerpundit.com/2009/01/07/cpsia-a-threat-to-charities-and-thrift-stores/ Conservative Commentary on American Politics Sat, 26 May 2012 13:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: DeputyHeadmistress http://amerpundit.com/2009/01/07/cpsia-a-threat-to-charities-and-thrift-stores/comment-page-1/#comment-161413 DeputyHeadmistress Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:52:12 +0000 http://amerpundit.com/?p=8299#comment-161413 I’ve blogged about this, too. It’s not just thrift shops. Used children’s books are at risk as well. SEcond hand book stores may have to dump their inventory of children’s books. Small cottage businesses, crafters who make children’s toys or shoes (see Etsy for the sorts of things I’m talking about) are definitely at risk. It’s also important to understand that this is NOT about protecting the rights of thrift shops or crafters to sell toys and shoes with phthalates or lead and make our kids sick- all these items are presumed to be lead or phthalate based unless proven otherwise. It’s not that these items HAVE lead or phthalates- it’s that they have not been *certified* lead-free. Sellers are required to get third party testing of each item and each individual component (rivets, buttons, beads, which must have different testing for each color, and possibly for each batch). This can run to thousands of dollars for just a few items, effectively putting small businesses and people who sell things from their home via Etsy out of business. If you sell five dollar bids you cannot afford to get separate testing for the ties, the lining, the embroidery thread, the main material, for each small artisan batch of bibs you make. Get this- currently? According to one crafter I read on the Etsy forum, almost all the testing facilities are in China. According to the Commission (which consists of two people), these rules will also be applied retroactively to inventory crafters and others already have in stock. It’s a horrible mess. I’ve blogged about this, too. It’s not just thrift shops. Used children’s books are at risk as well. SEcond hand book stores may have to dump their inventory of children’s books.

Small cottage businesses, crafters who make children’s toys or shoes (see Etsy for the sorts of things I’m talking about) are definitely at risk.

It’s also important to understand that this is NOT about protecting the rights of thrift shops or crafters to sell toys and shoes with phthalates or lead and make our kids sick- all these items are presumed to be lead or phthalate based unless proven otherwise. It’s not that these items HAVE lead or phthalates- it’s that they have not been *certified* lead-free.

Sellers are required to get third party testing of each item and each individual component (rivets, buttons, beads, which must have different testing for each color, and possibly for each batch).

This can run to thousands of dollars for just a few items, effectively putting small businesses and people who sell things from their home via Etsy out of business. If you sell five dollar bids you cannot afford to get separate testing for the ties, the lining, the embroidery thread, the main material, for each small artisan batch of bibs you make.

Get this- currently? According to one crafter I read on the Etsy forum, almost all the testing facilities are in China.

According to the Commission (which consists of two people), these rules will also be applied retroactively to inventory crafters and others already have in stock.

It’s a horrible mess.

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