Sunday, January 4, 2009

No more second hand?

I am not ashamed that I buy second hand clothes when I can. It saves money and seriously kids grow so fast they barely have time to ruin the clothes. I read a posting on one of the sites I am always looking at, Baby Cheapskate, that stated starting on Feb 10 a law goes into effect under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (summary info) that will prevent toys and clothes for kids 12 and under from being sold until they are tested for lead and chemicals used to create plastics. The LA Times article explains,
The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
Now, I want my child to be safe. Trust me. But the idea of not being able to buy anything second hand from ebay, craigslist, consignment stores, etc. makes me really angry. Some people rely on this to get their children items and cannot afford to buy new items for everything.

The bill also includes homemade and new items too. To be allowed to sell these items, all sellers would be required to have the items tested in a private lab. That is quite costly for smaller businesses that cannot afford the steep prices and is causing a lot of them to close up shop. The larger retail shows that sell children items aren't really burdened as much. Honestly, I would guess that they could negotiate a price for bulk items. Smaller companies cannot do that.

As I watch companies being bailed out and everyone worrying about the economy, this bill is making it harder on businesses to stay afloat. I am not saying this bill isn't needed. But, instead of forcing the businesses to pay for our safety, can we not instead ask the government to assist in paying for this? Or make it effective as of now so that these businesses do not have to go under? I know the world isn't fair but this simply stinks. It hurts businesses and families that depend on these means as a way to get items for their children.

1 comment:

mommyski said...

I found this after I posted but this is a summary of how businesses should prepare for this act to take effect. It also tells how they plan to enforce the act.

http://www.wileyrein.com/docs/publications/13763.pdf