OUTRAGEOUS! Ponies & the Consumer Products Safety Commission Improvement Act

LittleSpiffy

LittleSpiffy

Bushwoolie
Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Messages
145
*waves* Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've been active here, but I really want to discuss something...

Last night I visited my local thrift store to find the entire children's section closed. A sign was posted:

"NOTICE: In order to comply with the new Consumer Products Safety Commission Improvement Act which takes effect February 10, 2009, this section is closed until further notice.

"Impact Thrift Store will no longer sell children's clothing, child-care products, or toys pending further notice from the Consumer Products Safety Commission."

I spoke with someone at the store and learned that the fine, per occurrence, of selling children's goods is $100,000. All of the clothing, baby supplies, and toys are heading straight to the dump. They aren't allowed to take anything or give it away.

Here's a Q&A for charities that gives an overview on how it effects them: http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/smbus/cpsiasbguide.html

Please read the Q&A - it effects ALL OF US! Not only will this limit our resources for buying ponies and other collectible toys, but it may impact customizers, flea marketers, and eBay vendors.

I was aware of the ban on phthalates, but had no idea that it would impact toys that have already been produced (phtalates are chemicals that make plastic toys soft).

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Personally, I am highly irritated that this Act effects the reselling of toys. Putting my collecting aside, this effects the poor who can't afford to buy from retail stores and also the environment. Think of all the landfills that are going to be swarming with Elmo's and Dora's.

(edit) The Q&A does state that collectible toys can be sold - "Yes. Used vintage children’s books and other children’s products sold as collector’s items would not be primarily intended for children. Because of their value and age, they would not be expected to be used by children. Therefore, they do not fall into the definition of children’s product and do not need to comply with the lead limits."

Still, how can thrift stores justify ponies as collectibles?


Details of previous thread :
http://www.mlptp.net/forums/mlp-discussion/58162-will-law-effect-ebay-thrift-store-mlp-sales.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Question 17: Can I sell vintage children’s books and other children’s products that are collectibles?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Yes. Used vintage children’s books and other children’s products sold as collector’s items would not be primarily intended for children. Because of their value and age, they would not be expected to be used by children. Therefore, they do not fall into the definition of children’s product and do not need to comply with the lead limits.[/FONT]
Click to expand...

Wouldn't this technically be our saving grace, though, since for G1 collectors at least the toys are over 20 years old?


Also, can someone please explain to me what the exact concern is about phthalates? I'm not sure I totally understand what makes it dangerous, or supposedly dangerous.
 
They can cause birth defects, more severe allergic reactions than one would normally have to an allergen, and liver damage. :( I think they're the type of chemicals that build up and build up, without the body ever having a way to get rid of them.
 
This is stupid.
Why affect thrift stores?Kids have already played with them.Since the kids sections are closed,I doubt we are going to be even going to thrift shops anymore.
Let's go DUMPSTER DIVING!:063:
 
LoL, I'm an Olympic caliber dumpster diver :)

I know there are many internet petitions out on the web about this, but I need learn more about this Act. You can bet that I'm going to be writing my local congresswoman about this!
 
Oh wow, off topic for a pony thread, but I feel really bad for folks who depend on second hand clothing for their babies and children. :( I have plenty of friends who dress their kids in second hand, and could never afford new, it's just so expensive.
With the situation in the States, that's more people who would need inexpensive second hand goods to get buy. even worse. *hugs USA peeps*
Next will be mum's trading kids clothes with eachother in secret. black market baby wear.

As for the ponies. I do hope they are vintage enough and pricy enough to fall under protection so to say. It will be sad to think of all of the sought after vintage stuff that doesn't make it to ebay, or antique markets and will get tossed.
 
this is crazy! not just for collectors, but for all the poor boys and girl who will miss out as there familys may not be able to buy meny things as new, there gunna have to go without, not just that - there just gunna send everything to a tip! the environmental impact is just insane, what about people in 3rd world contrys who benift from having things sent to them as well - is that going to stop too? *facepalm* no one really thought this through properly did they...

I really really hope this gets petitioned in to the ground for the stupid idea it is.
 
As annoying, frustrating (and highly wastefull!) as it sounds, we have to remember they are doing it for our own good. Or more specifically the good of the children.
:-(
 
Mmm i wondered why i had seen not many toys in charity shops recently... true plus some organisations wont know mlp are vintage and collectable so are likely to be chucked especially if dirty. Nevertheless i still think its a waste something the dumps don't need considering how much is in landfills all ready. Poor ponies being buried but thats occured for years. >_>
 
*waves to my PA neighbor Spiffy* Hi!!!! Glad to see u back!!!

Which Impact did u go to? I go to the one in Hatboro (guess I won't go anymore) and the toy store down the street from it (guess that will be going out of business too). This really.........SUCKS
 
What

That stinks. I love to get second hand stuff cause it's saves tons of money vs. buying new from the store.
 
i dont know, i've been to two thrift stores since the 10th and all of them have toys and childrens clothing...i hope it doesnt change, this is ridiculous.
 
Hey Pika!! I went to the Impact in Norristown, but I'm assuming that all three are closing down their children's section for a while.
 
I will hopefully be going thrifting on Monday and both of the stores I go to have a HUGE toy section. Surely they won't do away with those. I'm pretty sure they won't since I went last Wednesday which was the 11th and I came away with an armful of ponies (will post pics later).

But really...this is a shame. However, people looking for second hand clothing and toys can go to children consignment shops. I've located three different stores in my area, so there's other ways to get stuff. Well, unless THEY go away.
 
Info similar to this was posted a while back on the LPS boards: The Littlest Pet Shop Collector's Forum - New Law Restricts Re Sale of Kid's Products

It's a bit crazy I think. I wonder if they've figured out that this is a market that they need to tap into to get more money or something.

Mrs E from LPS Forum said:
Video:
New law restricts re-sale of kid's products - Truveo Video Search

I found the following article here:
New Law Restricts Sale Of Used Children's Products - G4tv.com

New Law Restricts Re Sale of Kid's Products
If you regularly buy used children's toys and clothes or are in the business of selling them, then February 10, 2009 is a day that you will dread. A federal law enacted by the U.S. Consumer Protection and Safety Commission will go into effect, making it illegal to sell any used children's products (toys and clothes.) The act is the result of the plethora of toys that were recalled last year due to content of lead paint, most notably from Mattel/Fisher Price who were forced to recall 55,000 items from their lines such as Batman (pictured), Sesame Street, and Barbie. Upon the day the law goes into effect, manufacturers of new product will be left with more stringent standards for providing testing for lead-based paint, as well as responsibility for providing a sticker validating the item's status of having been tested. The law will affect all children's items (defined as "all products for children under the age of 12".
So, what will this mean for the secondary market for children's items? Sellers are definitely scared, as the ebay forums are full of topics with sellers openly saying that they are no longer taking incoming used product as they wait out the logistics of the new law. There may be certain loopholes that eventually come out concerning the intended use of a product. The law itself seems to centered on the definition of "children's products" and if sellers can find a way to legitimize the definition of a "collectible", then they may have what they need. The fact remains, it is completely unreasonable to say that you cannot sell vintage toys to collectors who wish to reacquire items from their childhood or to tell people that they cannot clean out their attics to sell potentially valuable items. At some point, as laws render themselves unfeasible after execution, it becomes clear that the law that really needed to be enacted must be embraced. (And it is not this one.)
Click to expand...

Wardah from LPS Forum said:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/pending/cpsia.asp

Also don't forget CPSC doesn't go looking for violations. Someone has to lodge a complaint for them to do anything.
Click to expand...


lilylpsfan from LPS Forum said:
It keeps getting more interesting. I'm sure the government had no intention of hurting their tax payers. . .the big ones anyway.

http://www.wyff4.com/money/18453746/detail.html#-

They have already amended the law.
Click to expand...


leahbugcie from LPS Forum said:
This was a complete shock to me. I actually read this thread a while ago and thought everything was fine with the so called amendment or whatever. I went to our local consignment store today to pick up some stuff for the kids. And low and behold a huge sign on the door saying they are no longer accepting childrens items. Not good! what are we suppose to do? they said there is a petition and all that stuff. here is the site http://narts.org/CPSIA_Info.htm

anyways, thought I would share. Needless to say I am not happy about this. I guess I will be putting the LPS items on ebay before February.
Click to expand...


Hope this info helps. More info is on page 2 of the LPS Forum link provided.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So much of this does not make sense to me. This is stuff is already used, worn, played with, what made the government decide to ban children's stuff from thrift stores? Most people that go to thrift stores go because they have children and can't budget the new stuff. That's seriously crazy. Especially with our econonmy the way it is, thrift stores should be doing well. But this will affect their business now because so many people that shop at thrift stores do it for children. This isn't helping anyone!!! I guess I don't understand enough about the chemicals that the government is worried about to understand fully why they are doing this. The biggest thing for me is if they've already been used (especially after 20 years and none of us are sick or dead from playing with them), why worry about them?
 
scarletelement said:
As annoying, frustrating (and highly wastefull!) as it sounds, we have to remember they are doing it for our own good. Or more specifically the good of the children.
:-(
Click to expand...

No offense, but that's easy for you to say since you won't be affected by it.. I'm an adult. I don't need my government to take something away from me "for my own good".. when I didn't have a say in the matter. Yes, I may still be able to find vintage toys as collectibles, but I can't afford to buy them at collectible prices all the time! I kind of rely on people just selling them as toys! I really think a better option would be for thrift shops to be required to post disclaimer notices and let people think and choose for themselves!

In my town, one chain of thrift stores has stopped selling toys.,. the others still have them, thank goodness! While the law went into effect last week, as I understand it, they aren't going to enforce it till next year.Some thrift stores are obviously getting right on it though.

This all really ticks me off!
 
Ianthe99 said:
No offense, but that's easy for you to say since you won't be affected by it.. I'm an adult. I don't need my government to take something away from me "for my own good".. when I didn't have a say in the matter. Yes, I may still be able to find vintage toys as collectibles, but I can't afford to buy them at collectible prices all the time! I kind of rely on people just selling them as toys! I really think a better option would be for thrift shops to be required to post disclaimer notices and let people think and choose for themselves!

In my town, one chain of thrift stores has stopped selling toys.,. the others still have them, thank goodness! While the law went into effect last week, as I understand it, they aren't going to enforce it till next year.Some thrift stores are obviously getting right on it though.

This all really ticks me off!
Click to expand...

I think disclaimer notices are a great idea. They put warning labels on cigarettes yet still sell the "cancer sticks"....yea that's the gov taking care of us alright..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top