No more reselling kids clothes???

[TravelinGal]

What a freakin pile of

 

[DMRick]

It's a big burr. Everything I sell is certified lead free..the components that is. One item I sell for a bit over $3. The testing for that one item would be almost $500 and a several month wait according to one source. I could no longer afford to sell it. I also sell personalized items, somethign that is printed on a piece of paper and my ink is lead free, and my paper is lead free. However, each time I buy a batch of either, as the bill is written now, I would have to have it tested once I print onto the paper, in case it suddenly became filled with lead. A piece of paper. Just makes no sense. They want to make me out to be a manufacturer, something I had to prove to my city I wasn't so I could work from home in my non commercial neighborhood.

The burr in the bonnet of these craft folks is the requirement for unit testing, rather than component testing. If small hobby mfrs. could simply rely on their raw materials suppliers to certify that the fabric or thread or zipper or ribbon or barrette clip, etc. contains no lead and no pthalates, then they could simply certify that the product was manufactured from materials that are certified lead/pthalate-free. However, the way the law is written currently makes it mandatory to test the finished product after it is manufactured, so certifying that the parts meet standards does not help.)

 

[jodifla]

I was on the news about this tonight

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S731609.shtml?cat=206

Was it also a video?

Because it the item, there's really no response from the government.

 

[Disneylush]

Our news reporter said it is their understand that you will not even be able to give away your used item.

 

[jodifla]

This will be like Prohibition, with gangs of parents having "Speakeasies" to swap clothing.

 

[minnie1928]

Our news reporter said it is their understand that you will not even be able to give away your used item.

That's what I had heard as well...

 

[Disneylush]

Was it also a video?

Because it the item, there's really no response from the government.

yes the video is there too.... it whould be on top of the article

 

[fakereadhed]

This will be like Prohibition, with gangs of parents having "Speakeasies" to swap clothing.

I was telling my friend selling kids stuff will be the new underground purse party.

 

[Disneylush]

I was telling my friend selling kids stuff will be the new underground purse party.

I just had a vision of someone saying come down my dark alley behind the secret door and if I move this wall... You can see my used kids clothes!

 

[jodifla]

Our news reporter said it is their understand that you will not even be able to give away your used item.

But who said that? A government spokesperson?

The problem here is, we don't have any actual quotes from people in authority saying "we're shutting down the thrift stores. you'll go to jail if you give your kids clothes to your sister-in-law."

 

[jodifla]

yes the video is there too.... it whould be on top of the article

Nice work on camera, Disneylush!

But the reporter doesn't really do his job in the piece. He doesn't talk to a live person from the government and PIN THEM DOWN! That's what reporters are SUPPOSED to do.

 

[Disneylush]

I know because NEWSFLASH.... they have no idea what is really happening!!! this is also why Goodwill would not go on TV.

 

[Disneylush]

Thanks Jodi

BTW... I had a 20 minute notice they were coming and I had been cleaning so not the best time to be video taped.

I was tempted to tell the reporter I was wearing shoes, jeans, and my shirt all from a thrift store...but I didn't think he would care.

 

[kritter]

WOW,, very interesting our school just organized a consignment shop sale. I guess we will not be doing this now!!!!!!!!

 

[jodifla]

I know because NEWSFLASH.... they have no idea what is really happening!!! this is also why Goodwill would not go on TV.

In that case, as a reporter, you make multiple calls to the person who sponsored the legislation, your senator and reps, and the CPSC. And even if they don't call you back, you list their names and say they didn't call you back. You put everyone on notice that they were asked this question and didn't care enough to talk about it, or that they didn't really understand what they voted for.

 

[mombare]

Maybe they are. Attention problems can be a symptom of lead poisoning.

http://children.webmd.com/tc/lead-poisoning-symptoms

Okay...I might get flamed for being a laid-back parent, but this just seems to be out of control. These symptoms can also be associated with many other things (physical and psychological). In fact, you could say that children who live in older homes/exposed to lead paint, are more likely to live in poverty thus not being stimulated by their parents who are working 4 jobs just to get by- and the children start displaying behavioral problems. Is that because of their exposure to lead or is it because of the family situation? Now I'll admit to not being a scientist, so flame me if I am out of line....
My children are probably constantly exposed to "lead" in a variety of different ways...we live in a house built in 1897, therefore I can guarantee there was paint with lead in it; they play with toys imported from China; we are not obsessive about this. We obviously take steps to protect our children when toys are recalled (and we did seal our lead paint). Our pediatrician recommended we have one of our children tested for lead levels about 1 year after we moved into our home (it takes about 6 months for it to show up in their blood stream). My son was 2 years old, prime age for putting everything in his mouth - and the test revealed virtually no lead in his system. In addition, my husband is a builder and has taken classes on lead exposure - it really takes a lot of lead in your child's system to have an impact...like eating the lead paint chips (which taste sweet, that is why they eat them).
I just think this law has gone too far in dictating what we can/can't do. I would like the choice to buy used clothes and toys for my children. Yes...I do check the used toys against recalls - but that is my choice. Are my children at risk? Not in my eyes.
Okay...I'll get off my soapbox now - and I really don't mean to offend anyone, just needed to vent. I have a huge garage sale planned for May, so this does impact me personally.

 

[mickeyvixie]

"One of a kind"?? What the heck does that mean? Does that mean original, custom made clothes, or that people can't bulk buy discontinued clothes?

LOL, guess I'm out of luck since I have twins with lots of matching outfits! AND all of their school uniforms, too!.

That's what I was wondering too. What is one of a kind? If a thrift store isn't effected unless they have multiples of the same item........What if someone donates identical outfits from a set of twins? Or...what if they all ready have, say, a Little Tykes dollhouse and someone donates another just like it, does that make it a multiple product?

I say we just "DONATE" all our used stuff to that guy who wrote the bill. Wonder how he would like to receive a gift of thousands of pounds of used toys and clothes.

Nice job on the interview Disneylush.

What I hate about this if it does go into effect is that retail prices are going to SKYROCKET. We barely get by now and I rely on yard sales and thrift stores for the bulk of my DD5's clothing. She needs to stop growing.

 

[luv2go2disney]

I think this whole thing is just ridiculous! Kids can get into anything for example there was a kid in our area that was in the news for lead poisoning after using the parents car keys repeatedly for a play toy when they were out to dinner or someplace stuck with no toys!
We buy both new and used clothes and have totes and totes of clothes to be sold this year at a garage sale or donated does this mean that my 15 totes full of kids stuff will just fill up the landfill instead...I thought we were going green!!!!

BTW Has anyone tested Mickey's suit for lead?!? Looks like the cost for WDW will be going up again when all those costumes need to be tested!!!

 

[Disneylush]

I don't know why this effected me and is bothering me so much.

Yes, I shop thrift stores for everything
Yes, I sell on ebay and craigslist
Yes, I work in a church where we collect used things for donation

I think all the unknowns upset me the most. Did they think this would just fly under the radar? When will this be put in basic terms and eliminate the gray area?

I am also mad at the mom in Minnesota who was not watching her child and let him eat a metal shoe charm that killed him. (yes, I feel bad the boy died) but a metal shoe charm should not lead to a clothing testing. (yes, I want me kids to be safe)

 

[kgle]

I'm kind of with Jodi on this, in that I think that perhaps we might all be working ourselves into a panic over something that really isn't going to be a problem. (And yes, I've read the law, and I think that while it is certainly open to strict interpretation, it is also very possible that it won't be enforced at all at the resale level. Enforcement and creation of exceptions is left up to the CPSC; it won't take an act of Congress to make adjustments to this thing.)

I think that while expressing concern is a good idea, jumping to fatalistic worst-case conclusions is not. The law is aimed squarely at manufacturers and importers, and I'm willing to bet that that is where the enforcement dollars will really be spent.

I actually wrote to the Washington Post a little while ago to ask their Checkout feature folks to look into it and try to separate the hype from the reality. They do a lot of reporting on juvenile products consumer issues, so I'm sure that they have good contacts at the CPSC. I have heard that the CPSC *is* working with some mfrs. on the policy details right now, which might well eliminate this concern. There is provision in the law for the CPSC to be able to exempt entire classes of materials based on their inherent unlikelihood to contain enough lead to qualify; I'm thinking that the average cotton t-shirt is a good candidate for that kind of exemption, depending on where the fabric comes from.

I do think that you will see that initially agencies and resellers will refuse anything that looks like it might have pthalates in it: which means most plastic shoes and a lot of clothing items with large plastic applique trims (like those shirts that light up, for instance.)

We're dealing with this issue in the library world, too. Juvie books and children's media products are also covered by the law.

These groups say the law should be changed so that it applies to products made after Feb. 10, not sold after that date.

That would take action by Congress, however, because the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel has already determined that the law applies retroactively, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story


It will take an act of Congress to decide that it should not be retroactive. Exactly why we should contact our Congressmen and women.