Save Handmade

I love everything in fede's shop on Etsy, this baby's first hammer included


Today I stopped in at my local consignment shop, and I realized how badly the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is going to hit hard here in my own community. The gal that runs the store can't take any more donations because she's not sure if she can even stay in business after the CPSIA goes into act in February.

Don't know what the CPSIA is? Remember back when all those toys made in China from Mattel and other companies were found to have dangerous levels of lead in them; leading a huge toy product recall? It also lead to our lawmakers over reacting and now we are all screwed.

This is serious. Small businesses will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

While the items babyhoot currently sells aren't considered "toys"; the act includes more than just toys. Of course I want my kids to be safe and not have toxic lead in their toys, cups, clothes, etc; but this is just way too out of control. These new laws mandate testing for any and all products intended for children under 12 years of age- Clothing, school supplies, cloth diapers, car seats, boy scout patches, bicycles, sippy cups--everything. Unless something changes, babyhoot will no longer be able to sell any of our products.

Here's just one paragraph of what's going to happen:
Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.

click HERE to learn more about what you can do to help Save Handmade.