I fear that moms across America will end up with no option but to throw toys in the trash. Perfectly good, previously loved, simply outgrown toys that previously would have gone to charity or have been sold on eBay or Craigslist.
New Legislation In Town
There is a new law pending approval that will require a special certification for toys to be sold or resold. While the intent of the new law is to protect children from tainted toys like those in recent recalls, it will affect so many other sectors of the toy system.
The new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – passed hastily to bar poisonous foreign products – also will require millions of American homecrafters to have each of their products tested at huge cost, ranging from $500 to $4000 per product – including their old stock which was manufactured before this law had even been thought up.”
– Source: Digital Journal
Crafters Affected
As stated above, the crafters who work so hard to hand make toys for children will also be affected. The people of Etsy and sites where they can set up shops to sell their wares? They will be effectively shut down. I’m sure there are plenty of WAHMs who rely on this income. This is seriously bad news for them.
Getting Rid of Stuff Will Be Harder
My mantra of less is more will be harder to deal with now. We will no longer be able to eBay or Craigslist toys that another child could love. We won’t even be able to give them away to charity because they won’t be able to resell them without the certificate. What’s a mom to do? I suspect swap parties will become popular, but who has time for that? What inevitably will happen is that busy moms will throw perfectly good toys in the trash — filling out landfills.
People in Need This also has the potential to cripple people who rely on buying toys second-hand. What about the mom who can’t afford to buy new toys for her kids’ birthdays? She relies on places like the Goodwill to stock her children’s toy boxes. Or the thrifty mom who doesn’t like to pay full price for toys knowing they have short lives in our homes. We will all be limited in how we can access toys from now on.
Related:
- Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act Web site.
- Read the entire proposed law here.
- “Millions of Homecrafters Face Bankrupcy After Jan 20 From New Law“
- “Is This The End of Thrift-Store Clothes and Garage-Sale Toys?“
- Find your member of Congress and send a letter if you are concerned.
Photo courtesy: Shawn Econo.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I am really upset by this, and I posted (ranted) about this as well. Goodwill stores have these 50% off Saturdays that I just love! I can come home with arms loads of stuff, mostly clothes, for very little cash. Most clothing I select is barely worn, so this greatly disappoints me.
I know this won’t help those who need the money, or who make money selling toys, but whether or not this law happens, you don’t have to throw toys away! Please try freecycling: go to http://www.freecycle.org and search for a local group. I am in two local groups and in recent months have received the following free items: a toy kitchen, a tricycle, and a bag full of maternity clothes (just picked them up last night). We have also gotten rid of the following extra items: my old mountain bike, an old video game console (w/games), extra furniture, old lights and bathroom fixtures (from remodeling) and moving boxes (many of which I originally got free from craigslist or freecycle!) You can also post free items on craigslist, or find another local swap group too. Yes it takes a little bit of time (and emailing), but so does shopping and driving around to garage sales. Good luck!
Susan, thanks for the great reminder about freecycle.org. I wrote a post about it not too long ago, but have yet to use it personally. I’ll definitely be giving it a try!
Fraizerbaz, I know this is going to hurt a lot of people who frequent charity stores.
I heard about this from another mom today and was so upset. I am a consignment queen, and I can’t imagine going through mommyhood without buying secondhand and selling what we no longer need.