How CPSIA may affect you! And, if you think CPSIA has been amended making stores exempt please take a look at the below link.

Many of you do not see how the CPSIA may affect you individually. Please take a look at a blog I copied from Etsy. This may be far reaching and seem ludicrous to enforce but our government has a very far reaching hand. We need to stand up and let them know we are not happy with this law.

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react. The best thing you can do is to contact Waxman whose address is in the below link. This link also explains to why Obama's freeze on legislation does not help consignment/thrift stores in the least. The only thing it did due is to put a freeze on the CPSC's exemptions.

Interesting thought/articles on CPSIA

There is so much information out there regarding CPSIA that it is overwhelming. I catch myself sighing every time someone asks me what is going on with the "lead law". I don't mean to sound irritated but at times I am just exhausted thinking about it. However, the concern and outpouring of so many customers and friends keeps my hopes up that we can and must keep up the fight. Today numerous customers asked what can they do? The best thing you can do for us at this time is to call your congressman again. You can also contact Senator Waxman and voice your concerns. The last thing you can do is to attend the Town Hall Meeting this Wednesday night @ 7pm. The more people these representatives see there the better chance we have of getting some type of response other then the one I receive earlier this week from one of the congressman's offices "We know it is law, but we will look the other way".

One websites with great info out there is rally congress. Walter Olson with Forbes.com gives a great commentary. Auntie Kate's blog also gives a great perspective on the affects of CPSIA.

CPSIA town hall meeting January 28th @ 7 pm

Do you have questions regarding CPSIA and how it will affect you? We will be hosting a town hall style meeting on January 28th at 7:00 pm. There will be representatives from Jim Bunning and John Yarmuth's offices at this meeting. There will also be other consignment store owners and handcrafter/artisans, from throughout Louisville and surrounding areas at this meeting. We are urging anyone who has concerns over this law to please attend this meeting. The meeting will be in the Middletown Community Center at the corner of Madison and Main in downtown Middletown, January 28th at 7 pm.

As people who are helping to meet the needs of children throughout our community, we understand the meaning of this law in its original intent. We feel it is crucial that our children our kept safe when playing with toys and using things we supply them with. However, by letting this law stand as it is, our integrity and credibility our on the line every day that we operate. The government and CPSC say they are not looking to ruin small business, yet they are forcing us to operate while looking over our shoulders at all times.

We are continuing to urge people to call there congressman protesting this law. If you are interested in other ways you can help go to www.narts.org and click Save Children's Resale (info for consumers).

Sample Letter to your Congressman

Sample Letter to Congress

Date

Honorable (Insert name of Senator/Representative)
Address of Senator/Representative

Dear Senator/Representative (last name):

I am writing to ask your immediate assistance to deal with an urgent problem relating to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).

The CPSIA legislation was an important contribution in efforts to strengthen product safety laws to make sure only safe and compliant children’s products are sold. While well-intentioned, if the CPSIA goes into effect unaltered on February 10, 2009, it will force children’s resale and consignment shops to close immediately. Not for profit thrift stores will have to discontinue their children’s departments, greatly affecting their charitable works. This will also have a very negative impact on the environment.

Because permanent marks/tracking labels are not mandatory in garments until August 14, 2009, how will our stores verify the chain of custody necessary to identify which garments ARE compliant? Since we deal in mainly one-of-a-kind items, it is impossible to test our inventory as the testing process is destructive. We have ALWAYS fully understood that manufacturers are required to test for lead, not resellers, but how is a store to know definitively if a product violates the lead requirements unless it tests? Yet CPSC states in a press release, “Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.” Quite a dilemma!

With the retroactive ruling on the lead standard the resale industry will be faced with tons and tons of children’s products that cannot be legally sold after February 9, 2009. We cannot wave a magic wand and make them disappear. They will end up in the landfills! The waste will not end there, but will continue for years to come when consumers try to discard items they currently have in their homes that they can no longer sell or donate.

Going one step further, when children’s resale and consignment stores have to close, consumers will drop children’s products at thrift stores—even though they publicize they are no longer accepting children’s items—forcing thrifts to dispose of a vast volume of merchandise at a great expense. This will seriously deplete the funds they work so hard to raise for the worthy causes they support.

It does not appear that the impact to the secondary market was considered. It could not have been Congress’ intent to destroy all resale businesses associated with children’s products and have such disregard for the environment. With the current state of the economy, the resale industry provides an affordable alternative for people to provide for their children and provides the best outlet for recycling items that are still safe and very useful.

We urge Congress and the CPSC to work with the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS) toward a solution that will Save Children’s Resale! We are in favor of better safety standards but do not feel they should be designed to threaten the viability of our industry. These terrible burdens need to be relaxed to make it possible to conduct a safe, appropriate and healthy business supplying children’s products.

Thank you for considering my views on this urgent matter.

Sincerely,


Name
Store Name
Address
email

Updates on CPSIA

Thank you everyone for your support over the past week. Many people have seen the recent press release from the CPSC and believe that it gives an exemption to consignment stores. It absolutely does not! If you care at all about buying used from consignment stores, attending church consignment sales, seasonal consignment sales, selling your children's used items, or buying form handcrafters please visit the below links. We need your help more than ever!

To find your congressman and call protesting law HR 4040 go to http://www.congress.org.

Two petitions you can sign are rally congress and reform CPSIA

For additional insight into HR 4040 there is a consumer site Narts.org. Click on save Children's Resale and it will give you additional information on the ramifications of this law and sample letters you can send to your congressman.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call the store. We truly appreciate all you are doing for us!

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

The Consumer Product Safety Comission and the United States Congress have passed a new law taking effect February 10th. It will require all consumer goods for children 12 and under to be tested for lead. Under this new law consignment stores like ours and many others across the United States will not be able to sell toys or even childrens' clothing unless they are tested. This test costs anywhere from $200 to thousands of dollars per item. Yes I said per item! Watch WLKY news at 11pm tonight to see Shelly answer questions about this legislation. Learn how it will affect you as consignors and customers in our store and what we can do to keep our store and the resale industry going. Watch for further details on how you can contact your Congressman to help us in this fight. Thank you so much for your support! We need you!


PLEASE EMAIL YOUR LOCAL POLITICIANS BY VISITING THIS LINK!
http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/1471save-kid-s-clothing