Here’s the skinny…

On Feb 10, 2008, legistation will go into effect that will make it ILLEGAL for any item intended for use by a child age 12 that was not produced/created before that date to be sold unless it’s cerified to not contain a certain amout of lead. 

You can read a little more about it  here . Basically, parents won’t be able to sell old baby clothes, cribs or toys at yard sales or cosignment stores. The bill makes it seem like we can’t even give stuff away. Either we keep it or toss it into the landfill. Perfectly fine stuff will be tossed away.

It’s not just baby stuff. Any item indeded for a child 12 and under. This includes vintage Barbie dolls and the two boxes of Vintage Star Wars toys (circa 1977-1985). They can’t be sold on ebay.

This whole thing stems from that problem Mattel had with lead paint on toys from China. I certainly hope Mattel lobbied FOR this legislation, forcing us to buy new toys everytime. But, I digress.

No guilt trips intened, but this is going to put lots of consignment shop owners/employees and eBay sellers out of work. If you care to help writting to your local government-type person, go here .

If you send an e-mail, there’s a spot you can write your own thoughts. Here’s what I put down: 

At a time where our economy is in chaos, families are worried about keeping homes and/or jobs and many people are struggling to make ends meet, I fit it disturbing that my government seeks to take away an income source for businesses, as well as forcing hard working Americans to spend more money on “new” items when used or gently used items were suitable only days before.

How is it that a crib, bouncer, playpen or piece of clothing be considered safe and usable on Feb 9th, but unsuitable and illegal on Feb 10th?

This bill will force thousands of child consignment stores to go out of business, putting more people out on the street, while cutting off a resource for parents to give their child a new outfit or toy. This bill doesn’t just affect parents, but thousands of people who sell items at trade shows and online auction sites like eBay. There is a huge market for vintage dolls and other toys. While adults are the ones selling Barbie and Star Wars toys, these items, (being intended for 12 year olds), would not be allowed to be sold. Many people make a living simply off selling vintage toys on online web sites. This legislation would force them to stop selling and cut off their income. How can this be allowed?

Beyond buying and selling used items, consider the environmental impact of this legislation. As it stands, parents will not be able to sell or give away furniture, clothing or toys. With no options available, people will simply throw these items into the trash. Almost none of these items are recyclable, therefore landfills will receive tons of extra trash. Most of the things thrown away would have been perfectly safe for use by a child. This legislation would incur a tremendous environmental impact that could have been avoided. We have only just begun to see mainstream recycling programs take hold and make people more aware about how trash affects the environment.

This legislation would be a HUGE step back. We will see the future envisioned in WALL-E sooner than we think.

This legislation NEEDS to focus on stricter standards and testing on lead in future goods and consumables. Simply throwing away everything won’t solve anything..

While this legislation make it illegal for my wife to sell that Star Wars junk when I pass away (and isn’t it fun to have the law on your side beyond the grave), this bill is going to put lots of people out of work and make it hard for low income familes to provide for their childen. Old toys deserve love too. Have we learned NOTHING from “Toy Story”?