For anyone that buys children's clothing from thrift stores, read this insanity!!

I saw that, it's insane!

I saw it too and yes it is insane.

sounds really stupid to me...what next? I was going to have my daughter call the children's consignment store to take down some of these kids' clothes and try to make money...now I bet they will have to close as well. I should read the article...will that stop us from selling them at yard sales too?

Here's one of connie's comments

Here is another link to more information on the subject

http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/RETAIL--New-rules-for-childrens-clothes-have-stores-in-a-fit--Some-thrift-owners-say-the-cost-of-toxics-testing-will-doom-their-firms-l:905798913.html

That is crazy! I get alot of clothes for my 4 year old at Thrift stores-I will not and cannot afford to buy 40 dollar outfits for a 4 year old who will out grow it in only a few months or ruin it playing outside! I find great stuff at Thrift stores for my 14 y/o too. Who can afford 80 dollar jeans? Not me! I got him 5 pair of practically new jeans for school this year at a Thrift store on half off day for less then 10.00!! That was a great day!!

Thanks for sharing! It's bullcrap!!!

Wow, that is crazy. I just bought my oldest son two pair of long uniform pants at the thriftstore this fall. He has only worn them maybe 10 times, and I would not have been able to pay 20 dollars for new ones.

saw this too and it is an outrage

Wow! *sigh*

What next??

Thats notfair. My kids come from hand me down or thrift stores. They get 1 new out fit a year nornally except for underclothes socks those i get at the store. But I beleive they should just leave whats there and continue on with the new.

that is crazy!

it's pretty dumb . . . people are going to pass down used kids clothes regardless. thrift stores is just an easy alternative. it's not the only means!

I have added several more links to the comment area of my post including one for the Government.

Glad you got your post to finally work. :)

well, sometimes no one knows anyone with kids for hand me downs... :(

Here's a link to Connie's article if you need more info

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977554168&nav=Namespace

It's a shame there's so much toxic crap out there in the first place.

Some children will suffer without warm clothing for that. But still we find things like toys are dipped in lead paint.

*sigh*

Gideon sometimes got some clothing at thrift stores - especially for costuming.

that is just crazy, alot of parents cant afford to buy new clothing, I know for myself most of my kids clothes come from the thrift store.

But still we find things like toys are dipped in lead paint.

yeah, its clothing now, next will be toys.....

Ya know, if we had some of the poor in congress office instead of the money grabbers, maybe things would change some... =/

Unfortunately, the rationale behind it makes sense, even though families will suffer. But you cannot regulate donations to charities, of which there are plenty in this country. So that should help.

The Vietnam Vets
Sally Ann
St. Vincent de Paul

Numerous community groups. Contact your community group, church, school, or other for information on where you may be able to get used clothing.

Don't forget

www.freecycle.org

A worldwide or national organziation begun some years ago, where people donate whatever they wish under the stipulation that it will NOT be sold.

The idea grew and grew and grew, like other free organizations, Craigslist and Wikipedia.

Go to www.freecycle.org

and sign up at a location near you.

You must be able to pick up the goods you have committed to take.

Furniture, equipment, etc. Anything people want to get rid of.

Donations to charities and freecycle.org will increase because of this legislation.

So don't despair.

Everytime a door closes, a window opens.

Maybe they should make the stores that originally sell them test them!! then they wouldn't have to worry about it

another dumb law by a congress that is not intouch with the regular joe.....

Thanks for posting this.

I think it makes sense if it saves a child. Our thrift store is unsanitary and I hate buying anything there other than a book or bagged item. Plus, the prices have gotten so ridiculous that its cheaper to buy new on clearance.

Wow that's crazy ... So wasteful.

WOW my kids have been out of kiddy cloths for awhile but what about you?

Well our society is paranoid, must have been kids harmed? Like the recalled toys, people give them to the thrift shop.
They will bail the clothing like hay and ship them out for rags, or to third world countries.....sell them per pound.

It's not just Thrift Stores that have to do the testing. It is any retailer. Sears, Pennys, walmart...........

If congresspeople had all their perks taken away, they'd be shopping thrift stores, too.

This is a lie... It is not true..

It is all toys, backpacks, etc. and many stores will have to pull ALL children's items. Legally even places such as Freecycle and Ebay will not be allowed to have any of these items without the certificate. I imagine legally that would include garage sales, but how in the world would it ever be enforced?

I'm for the safety of children, but come on now. None of us had problems or our children until Chinese and other foreign made toys and clothes appeared. So, if they are all natural and made in the US they should be exempt.

that stinks I by used kids stuff all of the time.

This is just crazy!

How about this:

According to the Handmade Toy Alliance:

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatroy[sic] testing will likely drive them out of business.

A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes dolls to sell at craft fairs must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
And even the handful of larger toy makers 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.
The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public’s trust: Toys made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.
According to Z Recommends, Selecta, one of my favorite German wooden toymakers, has already announced they will no longer sell toys in the US.

Selecta manufactures toys that comply with strict EU regulations for phthalates and other potentially harmful chemicals, but cites the cost of new testing as the reason it can no longer supply the U.S. market. The company claims that prices would be forced upwards “by at least 50 percent, which would price these products out of the market.”…The company wrote that the decision “is based solely on costs; there have not been any issues with successfully completing the testing and certification process.”

We need to protect our children from toxic toys, but this legislation will actually do the opposite. Small, handmade, natural toys will no longer be legally sold in the US, as small companies cannot afford the additional requirements. The US market will be slimmed down to large toy companies who manufacture in Chinese factories, thus making our children less safe. The trusted toy companies parents have sought out because of the toy recalls will no longer be available. This may just be the last holiday season you can shop for natural, handmade toys from small companies.
If you want to help, you should write to your United States representative and senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys. The Handmade Toy Alliance has provided a sample letter, and here are links to find your congressional representative and senator.

I think it's just another thing that somebody is starting in anticipation of our new prez coming in. It has to be passed, and maybe some court will block it.

That is crazy. They should start with the stores that first sold them.

I just commented on this on another article, so I'll cut and past my comment:

I'm not sure why this would hurt thrift stores. I just went to the government site and read the law. It appears to target manufacturers, not retailers. Retailers are not required to test anything. The testing is on the part of the manufacturers. The only impact on retailers is that they need to get the certificate of conformity from the manufacturer before selling the product. They themselves don't need to test anything.

This won't prevent thift shops from selling used items either. It will just require them to contact the manufacturer to get the certs. This is identical to current rules regarding chemicals. Do you know that your employer, for example, is required to have a Material Safety Data sheet for EVERY chemical in your workplace? Most people don't even realize that. Have a can of Lysol Wipes on your desk? You are suppose to have an MSDS on file. How do you get one? You call the manufacture and ask for it. They have to give it to you by law. This is the same thing. A thift shop would look at the label, and contact the manufacture to get the certification sheet to know the item is OK. The only real cost is administrative...they need to assign someone to keep the certs organized and on file. it isn't that big of a deal.

The laws regarding lead in children's clothes and toys have been on the books for years. The law is simply an enforcement of those policies. Folks, we can't have it both ways. We can't flip out when China sends us toys filled with lead, but think it's OK for Grandma Annie to sell her lead-filled wooden toys in a thift shop. It's one or the other.

I also don't believe the one vendor's assertion that testing is $50,000. The basic testing equipment used by professionals is under $30!. While it might be another cost, it isn't going to be outrageous, and will be in line with most other tests that are required (particularly for paints).

Look, I work in manufacturing. These testing numbers getting thrown around are NOT realistic representations of what to expect. They are scare tactics being used by an industry to avoid regulation. You know, like the airline industry used scare tactics to deregulate and the mortgage industry and the banking industry used thes tactics to deregulate...how'd all that work out for us?

Selecta manufactures toys that comply with strict EU regulations for phthalates and other potentially harmful chemicals, but cites the cost of new testing

According to the law as it is written, so long as the testing was done by a recognized third party lab, the test used in the EU can be used to certiify the product in the U.S.

What Julie said makes a lot of sense. Why would something have to be tested twice? If it was already tested and approved by the manufacturer then why should it have to be tested again?
Reading that made me feel a lot better about the whole deal. I can't imagine a more wasteful thing to happen than to see hundreds of stores close down and throwing away perfectly fine clothing!

Hadn't heard about this!!! That's messed up!!!

Thrift stores andconsignment stores are safe.

Update

Sometimes I think all the fat cats make the laws.

10 4 u

per Snopes.com this is a false rumor. which is a major relief.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/pending/cpsia.asp