Wednesday, January 21, 2009

CPSIA and my little soap box

In August the Congress passed the CPSIA, a law making it tougher to sell toys and other childrens items that contain lead - so obviously that's a good thing. However, as a result of this law any crafter or stay-at-home artisan who makes items for kids under 12-- from clothing to toys to school supplies - must have their items tested to the tune of $400-$4000 per item.($175 for each material used so if you make an item with 4 materials then that would be 175 x 4 = $700) Since most crafters cannot afford those kinds of fees, this means tens of thousands of stay-at-home moms and small home-based businesses may be forced out of business come February 10, the official "mandatory compliance" date set by the law.

So if you want to help save handmade toys (especially etsy sellers will be affected) please visit the Handmade Toy Alliance for a letter you can send to your local representative.

Also, in the future I will not be selling barrette holders for children. They will all be "for adults". If you choose to give them to a child I can not stop you.

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