I've been hearing about the CPSIA, a new law that will require all toys need to be tested for lead. This will make many shops who sell handmade children's items on etsy out of business because the costs of testing for each toy will be about $4000. I'm sure a lot of people on etsy know about this already, I see a lot of threads about it on the forums. I think the law is ridiculous. Even though it doesn't effect my shop, I can see how this will hurt other crafters and laws like this could hurt other small businesses in the future. I'd hate to see these go away:
Laughing Giraffe Wooden Toy
Stuffed Salad With Carrots and Tomatoes
Jungle Growth Chart
Arlene Stuffed Hippo
I already sent a letter to my congressman and I'm trying to help out in whatever way I can.To help or learn more go to, you can go to
this website or join this
facebook group.
In other news, I'm working on new items and should have new items listed soon. I should give myself a break with it being the holidays, but I just ordered new paper and I'm feeling inspired.
2 comments:
$4000 is a very high number some people are being quoted. It all depends on what tests you are doing and who you go through. I recommend checking out a few different large labs (like Intertek or Bureau Veritas). Spend a little time looking into the costs and procedures. I am getting items tested for about $300-400 per item, which is not pocket change, but at least it is considerably less than $4000!
I have obtained several quotes (BTW Bureau Veritas is not giving them out without shipping the items to them first) and $75 per substrate was the cheapest I came across. So that is for EVERY component of your item. A complex item (such as in my case an applique cotton t-shirt of several cotton fabrics, threads, and labeling size, care, content tags) averages about $1400. per shirt. This is not a cost I can afford on a $40 shirt that is one-of-a-kind or sold in VERY limited quantities (like less than 50 units max).
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