No more second hand kids stuff?

Have you heard about the new bill that is going to prevent people from buying/selling gently used children's clothes and toys? So much for buying your kids clothes at thrift stores. And used children's stores, like Kid to Kid, Other Mothers and Once Upon a Child will be forced out of business. Within the month, they're going to have to dump all of their perfectly good clothes into lanfills because they certainly won't be able to afford the testing this bill is going to require.

What on earth??? Does anyone else think this is ridiculous? Shouldn't it by my choice and my responsibility to make sure my kids' clothes and toys are free from lead? I mean, really.

(You can read more about this bill here and here.)

There's a VERY quick petition that you can sign if you're a fellow mama who can't afford to buy everything brand new for their kids. This bill is set to pass on February 9, 2009, so don't put off signing.

Click here to sign the online petition. It's quick and it's free.

This link will take you to a contact map for congress and this link will take you to the law.

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If you choose to send a letter, I received this sample via email that you can use as a template, if you'd like:

Dear Senator ________,

Like many people I was concerned by the dangerous and poisonous toys that large Chinese toy manufacturers have been selling to our nations families, and I was very pleased that Congress acted quickly to protect America’s children. However, I strongly disagree with some of the terms of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and I hope you take action to correct these items that will bring about many economic and environmental issues that might have been overlooked in the overall effort to increase public safety.

I am very upset that used children's clothing will no longer be able to be sold or purchased unless tested for lead and phthalates. I buy gently used clothing and toys. Children grow out of things so quickly, it's better environmentally, and it saves money. Soon this will not be an option for me if you do not act.

There are so many people that cannot afford new clothing and toys for their children. I am from a middle-income family and we are struggling now with the economy. This will also not allow charities to donate used items to children that are really in need. Goodwill and Salvation Army will not be able to sell this clothing. And think of all the second hand stores that are going out of business. Other economic impacts will be the loss of jobs nationwide as these stores are forced to shut down, higher consumer debt as consumers are forced to spend beyond their means for clothing they would not normally purchase, and potentially higher crime rates as a result of the increased theft in the clothing industry for the consumers who do not qualify for credit cards, or have the means to purchase outright. Losing the ability to trade-in clothing will be financially devastating to many families.

What about the environmental impact? According to the LA Times, "Those [products] that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead." So whether or not they are actually hazardous, millions upon millions of brand new toys and clothing will be tossed into landfills. Might I add that all of the "non-earth-friendly" plastic toys will surely sit there in the landfills for many years to come, whether or not they are even dangerous. Too bad they couldn't have been used and played with in the meantime! This law doesn't allow enough time for current used products to be properly tested.

This feels almost like a destruction of property rights or a devaluing of the currency. My goods are worth something on February 9th, but come 12:01 am that night, they suddenly lose their value. I believe that the CPSIA will cost many American families much more money than any economic stimulus check has ever benefited them.

It's not that I want my child wearing lead-filled clothing or playing with toys full of phthalates. But I also don't want to see a bunch of perfectly good items - items which people paid hard-earned money to buy - go to waste and then be replaced with costlier versions of the same thing. I think there can be a better balance than the current proposal set forth, and I'd like to see that bill be amended to allow for the resale of used items, at a minimum, to not make the bill retroactive. We need at least a two year reprieve, allowing for the new “labeled items” to make their way into the economy and into the second hand shops so as not to further the economic hardships that we are already facing as a nation.

Thank you, (Your Name)

(Update: there's a newer article here that says the resale items won't be affected by this bill. That was my biggest issue, but I'm still really disappointed about the affects this will have on smaller toy makers and mom and pop shops. Thanks Jen for letting me know!)