But, will the CPSIA really affect you?

In theory, the CPSIA sounds like a smart idea: Dangerous toys were coming out of China. Scared Americans demanded tighter regulations.

In response, the CPSIA (the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) was born. It requires that any product marketed to kids, including clothing, toys and books, must have third-party proof that it does not have dangerous amounts of lead or chemicals in it.

What no one saw--what many still do not understand--is how much these regulations are going to affect us all.

Who will it affect?

the parent who seeks out U.S.- and European-made wooden and organic cotton items for their children, instead of mass-produced plastics;

smaller companies who cannot afford the massive testing costs. Companies like Germany's Selecta, who already meet or exceed stricter European safety standards, have already stopped distribution to the U.S. since they would have to raise prices by 50% to pay for the additional testing;

the parent who must get his hands on an original Make Way for Ducklings to share with his kids;

the antique book seller whose focus is children's titles, especially classic illustrated books;

anyone who shops for handmade items for their children--for a gallery of items affected by the CPSIA, see Endangered Whimsy (warning: it may break your heart);

the new mom who starts an Etsy shop to bring in a second income and do something she loves;

the homeschooling family who relies on the purchase of used curriculum and books to afford their way of life;

the librarian who fears that her entire children's section of books, CD's and DVD's may have to be destroyed if exemptions are not made.


In less than ONE MONTH, all of these people and many more, will be impacted by the CPSIA unless major changes are made.

Less than one month.

Already, the impact is visible. Etsy stores are closing or removing children's items from their inventory. Amazon has sent out warnings to their vendors. Libraries are tensely watching the situation unfold.

Some small victories have been won. On January 8th, the CPSIA announced that sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

But, small victories are not what is needed. We need the Consumer Product Safety Commission to realize that while protecting our children from dangerous (mostly Chinese-made) products is important, putting U.S. small businesses out of work is not the answer.

Also, we need to consider the tons and tons and tons of waste generated as toys, clothing and (I can't even think about this one) books are destroyed. It makes me think that perhaps Wall-E's world of trash was not fiction after all.

For more information and to find out what you can do, please click on the Save Handmade link on this page.

Please do something today.