Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Even More CPSIA stuff...my letter...

I read on this blog that "The CPSC is requesting comments on Section 102 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act"

Below is my letter I sent to Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov. ("Comments may also be filed by facsimile to (301) 504-0127 or by mail or delivery to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814. Comments should be captioned “Section 102 Mandatory Third-Party Testing of Component Parts.”)

"To whom it may concern,

I have only recently decided to start my dream of having a home craft business selling handmade plush toys over the internet and at small craft shows. This new law, if left unchanged and unedited, would destroy that dream by making it impossible for me to do any sort of business at all. I don't have $4000 to test a toy I would only be selling for between $5-$30. I am not a huge,mass market company that makes thousands upon thousands of dollars a year. I am a housewife trying to make a little extra income in this time of impending economic stress. And I can't imagine how this Act, left unchanged, would effect someone who makes their living off of selling their handmade toys/clothes.
I use clean recycled clothes, storebought fabric, polyfill, and other simple materials bought from fabric/craft stores that I'm sure have already been tested for their safety before they get to the store, due to the fact that the fabric/thread/ etc. is being sold with the intent of someone using it to handmake clothing/blankets/toys. There has been a strong movement growing in the past few years encouraging people to "Buy Handmade". Many people who handmake items are passionate about being "green" and having their items be safe for the planet. If they're safe for the planet, shouldn't they be safe for children? People buy handmade things because they trust the idea of an item being handmade. Think about the term...HAND-made. If there was something dangerous, wouldn't you think that the HANDS that MADE it would be the ones to be in danger first?

Please don't destroy the dreams and livelihoods of artisans the public has come to love and trust! Please amend the CPSIA!


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