Comments on: CPSIA chronicles, February 10

By: CPSIA chronicles, April 21

CPSIA chronicles, April 21 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:44:29 +0000

[…] and found that nearly all the buyers, and for the time being most of the sellers, were ignoring the CPSC guidelines that discourage most resale of pre-1985 volumes. Deputy Headmistress had a great post last month […]

By: CPSIA chronicles, March 4

CPSIA chronicles, March 4 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:59:16 +0000

[…] Baicker McGee is a children’s book author and illustrator who commented eloquently (more) on one of our earlier posts about books. Now she has a great post explaining why, although […]

By: CPSIA chronicles, February 27

CPSIA chronicles, February 27 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:14:46 +0000

[…] other day. Same for many other instances that could be cited, such as the pre-1985 books and the size 10 winter coats with zippers and snaps that are being yanked from thrift store shelves. Had the commission such a “commonsense […]

By: First Do No Harm « Blackadder’s Lair

First Do No Harm « Blackadder’s Lair — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:28:43 +0000

[…] Commission agreed to stay enforcement of certain aspects of the new law for one year. Nevertheless, on February 9th the CPSC published guidelines telling thrift stores and other sellers of used goods … The results have been far from pretty: My daughter works in a used bookstore. TODAY they pulled […]

By: First Do No Harm « Vox Nova

First Do No Harm « Vox Nova — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:25:24 +0000

By: CPSIA, 1984, and Hang On To Your Vintage Books | A Classic Housewife In A Modern World

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:18:26 +0000

[…] However, this latest thing, it just about leaves me speechless. I first read about it at Overlawyered: To take just one example, that of resale, thrift and consignment stores, the CPSC guidance advises that such stores discard, or refuse to accept donations of, a very wide range of children’s items unless they are willing to test the items for lead or call their original manufacturer — neither of which steps is consistent with the economics of an ordinary small thrift store. Included in the suspect list are most children’s clothing (because most of it has snaps, buttons, zippers, grommets or other closures with unknown/unproved metal or plastic content), most books that were printed before 1985 or that (even if more recent) include metal or plastic elements such as staples* or spiral binders; most playthings (dolls, balls, trains, toy cars, etc.), most shoes and hair ornaments, most sporting goods, outdoor play items and wagons, board games when including any plastic spinners, tokens or other items, all bicycles and tricycles in kids’ sizes, most decorations for kids’ rooms, nearly everything with metal or synthetic applique, most school, art and science supplies, and on and on. ~ Read the rest of it here. […]

By: Robert Goodman

Robert Goodman — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:48:46 +0000

Don't you understand that this is all part of the economic stimulus? Think of all the work that will be needed to replace the stocks that are destroyed. That's a lot of jobs. Back when I thought I might actually make money off the non-irritating bubble bath I invented for Carol Low's children, I figured I could avoid an FDA regulation on "foaming detergent bath products for children" (which would vitiate and prohibit my safety claims on the label unless labeled "adults only") by selling it as an amusement product only -- i.e. a toy. So now I'd have to sell it for adults only anyway, or have someone bottle it and then test the bottled product for Pb, etc.

By: Thrift stores, the day after

Thrift stores, the day after — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:36:44 +0000

[…] with business as usual, leaving kids jeans’, plastic playthings, pre-1985 books and other suspect items on the shelves, whether because they are breezier about taking on risks of liability, because they […]

By: -Dave-

-Dave- — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:32:48 +0000

Here is another take on pre-'85 books. I own a preschool, with a lot of venerable children's books. A few years ago, I hired a young college girl working on an early childhood degree as an assistant teacher. We caught her going through the shelves of books in our storage room, and throwing out all all the pre-'85 books, because her professor had taught them they must be discarded. NOT because of physical properties, but because they tend to have Politically Incorrect stories and pictures in them of mothers wearing aprons and fathers smoking pipes, etc. We were horrified, and she was amazed that we were upset. She thought she was doing us a favor, and just couldn't understand why we wouldn't want to discard those old "sexist" books. ?Dave?

By: Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act Leads Consumer Products Safety Commission To Advise Secondhand and Thrift and Consignment Stores To Destroy Children's Books Made Before 1985 | Popehat

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:36:54 +0000

[…] is the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, which Patrick has diligently covered here? Well, Walter Olson demonstrates that it has led the Consumer Products Safety Commission to advise thrift shops, secondhand stores, […]