Polka dots & Paisleys stopped taking personalized monogrammed orders on August 29th, 2009 until further notice.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Out of Business??!!

As of now, on February 10th I will no longer be able to sell the baby items I have been selling...pacifier clips, burp cloths, etc.
I just found out about this law that has been passed and I thought I would cut and paste an entry from my friend Destiny's Blog...from Little Lambs and Lilies
Look out for National Bankruptcy Day on Feb. 10, 2009. That's what its being called because hundred and thousands of companies big and small will be affected or forced out of business due to this Crazy Law--the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Read more here.

It all started last year when we had that big lead scare in children's toys--that all came from China, by the way. So, now Congress is passing this law that prohibits the sale of ALL children's items intended for children 12 and under unless they have received a General Conformity Certificate (GCC). This mean that each product sold will have to go through a testing process that costs an insane amount of money for each product.
This CPSIA does not show favoritism to large or small companies. Even small business (like mine and so many of my friend's) will have to conform to this law. It is going to force WAHMs (work at home mom's) out of business. Let's just say that a mom has a business making custom clothing like dresses. She will have to have the dress tested (fabric, buttons, etc.) for a total of about $1, 400. And, from what I understand the test product will be destroyed. For a dress that retails for around $40-60 what good is that going to do? Then if she wants to change the color or fabric of the dress she'll have to go through the whole process again!
NOW--don't get me wrong....I'm all for protecting our children!!!! But, I think the law has been written poorly. But, why can't they go to the source of the problem (china)?? Instead it is taking away opportunity of American artisans/craftsman to pursue their passion.
A mother who desires to stay home with her children and at the same time work to earn a little extra income should have that right. Isn't it good to support handmade products once in awhile instead of the toys, clothing, art, etc that are mass produced?
Big companies will be able to afford to get the testing done and I'm not sure how they will be affected. (or will we be affected by their prices going up????? just a thought) But small companies and the wholesale companies they buy from will.
No more buying and selling toys, clothes, books "for children under 12" on ebay, etsy, etc....
As if our economy wasn't in enough trouble already, let's make it a little worse!!
(Can you tell I'm upset about this???)
By the way..there's a $100,000 fee if you are caught selling these items!!!!
Here are a few more links about this subject:
How can you help?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

i would stil like to buy something from you anyway! i really want a pacy clip! :) haha

AudreyO said...

This is so crazy. This law is affecting everyone who makes their own items :(

Tiffany and Marty said...

What?!?!?! This makes absolutely no sense. Think about what this will do to Canton, TX and the women that work day and night to get their crafts and items together in order to sale them to provide food for their families. This law will affect more people than we know. This is CRAZY!!!!!
What about consignment shops, garage sales etc...? How do they plan to monitor this?

StephMilton said...

Shouldn't the products you are selling have already been through the testing process?? Like when you buy the burp clothes they should have a been tested by the company selling them to you. Same for the outfits. I guess I could see the paci clips, bows (:( what am I going to do now) and stuff since you actually make those but shouldn't you still be able to do the things that you just monogram on?? I'm so sad for you....i just doesn't seem fair!! I know you need this business!!