Comments on: Government protectionism gone too far

By: Up North Mommy » CPSIA: Second hand stores exempt

Up North Mommy » CPSIA: Second hand stores exempt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:42:25 +0000

[...] to commenter Sarah for the [...]

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:04:32 +0000

Good News…this law will now not affect second hand stores…see article below:

http://www.wyff4.com/money/18453746/detail.html

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:55:59 +0000

I just heard on the news this morning that they might be taking certain “things” off the list to be tested so that the second hand stores wouldn’t be affected as much…we’ll see what happens.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:14:39 +0000

Thank you so much for helping to get the word out – I’m glad there are so many of us fighting the good fight.

I have to disagree with Pat however; the problem is, craftspeople in particular tend to conduct their businesses with the utmost integrity. It’s the reason their products are generally safe to begin with, and why parents turned to handmade toys and gifts in droves when everything mass-produced in China was being recalled. They are not just going to shrug their shoulders and say, come and get me feds! No one is going to put their business on the line here and risk criminal penalties.

The other issue is that the retailers must comply as well, so that even small companies who sell natural blocks or wooden rattles to shops like Whole Foods will lose their biggest customers. The huge stores of the world (Walmart, etc) have already told companies that they’re shipping all their inventory back to them that is non-compliant before Feb 10. So all those companies are screwed too.

If you think about it, it’s really a big, big problem.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:39:11 +0000

I agree with the comment by Pat Duty. Although this law sounds tough, I seriously doubt the government is going to enforce it, at least not with the brick and mortar shops. That’s probably why we’re not hearing much about it….

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:54:16 +0000

It’s interesting you say that. My husband said the same thing.

By: Pat Duty

Pat Duty — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:14:39 +0000

Thanks for the information. I doubt that the government will be willing to hire watchdogs to guard the entire nation of second hand stores. As for the handmade items, this would require additional government personnel to watch for the naughty people making their hand crafted items. I have a feeling that this law, although enacted, will fall to the wayside .

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:47:10 +0000

Hey, Amy. Thanks for stopping by. Third party testers must be approved by the government. I’m not sure who they are right now but they’ll make themselves known.

By: Amy Childers

Amy Childers — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:53:57 +0000

hey kim – who/where is the 3rd party?

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:48:41 +0000

Glad to do it. I’m angry at the impact this could have on thrift shops up in my neck of the woods where so many families rely on second hand clothing.