STILL CONFUSED? JOIN THE CLUB, by Emily Hill
Before Allison left on her family vacation adventure she asked me to write a couple posts this week for Petit Elefant. To be perfectly honest I invited myself and my posts over to “play” and Allison was nice enough to humor me. (And to think I tell my girls all the time it’s rude to invite yourself anywhere!) But I digress…
Though I totally plan on writing something super nifty and original this week, I wanted to feature a recent post I wrote for Boutique Café about a new CPSIA-related website that deservesand needsall the attention it can get. And if you haven’t heard about the CPSIA and its long-reaching effects on the children’s toy, clothing and just-about-everything-else market, it’s about time you did.
“New site helps demystify the CPSIA”
Previously posted on Boutique Cafe by Emily Hill
What is the CPSIA? is a new website with a simple yet powerful purpose: “Explaining the Facts and Dispelling the Myths about the CPSIA.” For many of us who own small businesses with products aimed at children up to age 12, the CPSIA has been a thorn in our side ever since we finally became aware of it six or so months ago. Yes, the original stay was granted but now we have labeling issues to worry about and the ever-present requirement for testing, which is–gasp!–just around the corner.
I love that the site is super easy to navigate with the most important issues/questions smack-dab on the homepage in an eye-catching, bolded blue font:
- What is the CPSIA?
- What can I do about the CPSIA?
- Where can I find a list of compliant products?
- Can I sell current inventory on-hand?
- I make OOAK items, what options do I have besides destructive testing?
…and the list goes on. I think I’ll be researching whether third-party certification will be good enough come the next CPSIA deadline.
What is the CPSIA? also has left-hand-side links important for all of us to browse, from activism sites to apparel & fashion to information for resellers. And most importantly, the site welcomes questions from readers. The more questions, the more answers; the more answers the better prepared we are to understand the CPSIA; the better we understand this law the more effective we can be at working to change it.
Whether or not you’re a seller or reseller of handmade children’s goods What is the CPSIA? is a must-read for all of us as it effects everyone. Not convinced it effects you? Check out the slideshow of affected products below. –Emily
P.S. You can follow @whatiscpsia for tweets about the newest blog posts and other relevant CPSIA info.
