you should be concerned about this...

i love buying handmade items. i love making things for myself and for others. this is definitely a growing trend, especially in our current economic situation and eco-friendly mindset. however, i would like to bring to your attention  a new product safety regulation that will affect all manufacturers, including handmade that sell in the US. you can read up on it here, here, here and here.

i learned about this is from constantly reading the etsy forums. it is of major concern especially to those who sell items intended for use for children 12 and under. this includes toys, clothing, basically any kind of furniture, jewelry, anything child related. even if you are reselling something that you did not make, as in vintage, it will require testing. these new regulations require that each product be (destructively) tested by a third party, even if your raw materials have already been tested previous to you purchasing them. and, it's not just a one time testing. for example: if you knit five scarves that look exactly alike, but the yarn in each is from a different brand or dye lot - each one has to be tested. different colors of the same item must be tested. this will pretty much eliminate any ooak (one of a kind) items. fines are upwards of $10K for noncompliance for each instance... and testing must be completed by feb 9, 2009.

there are many other confusing details on this new law, but since i don't speak legalese, i won't pretend i know what they all mean. please read up on this, especially if you sell, or plan to sell handmade items in the future. also, if you plan on buying any handmade items! this could possibly destroy our little handmade world if all the little guys start getting prosecuted. many are signing an ipetition or contacting their congressmen to make their voice be heard. 

what many others are not realizing is that this extra cost of testing goods will affect the prices you pay on these manufactured goods. feb 10th is becoming known as 'national bankruptcy day'. 

the really sad thing is, many have not yet heard of this new regulation. please pass this on to others who may be unaware. i can only hope (as many others are) that this will all blow over and there won't be a significant change in the world of handmade. i will now get off my soapbox! enjoy your weekend...

awesome shirt and photo via deadworry.