Government "Resale Round-Up" Enforces Recalled Toy Resales

Posted by Brian Krause on October 24 2009 | 56 Comments

Tags: Resale Roundup, government influence, lead toys, safety

Welcome back! Fox News is reporting an interesting new government action imposing standards on toy resales in garage sales nationwide.

Launched by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the "Resale Round-up" enforces new limits on the amount of lead in children's products and makes it illegal to sell toys that exceed those limits or are recalled for any other reason.

The strict standards were set in the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act after a series of high-profile recalls of Chinese-made toys.

The standards were originally interpreted to apply only to new products, but now the CPSC says they apply to used items as well.

In theory, this sounds like a great idea. However, there is a catch, for those of you holding your own garage sales.

In order to comply, stores, flea markets, charities and individuals selling used goods — in person or online — are expected to consult the commission's '24-page Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers' and its Web site for a breakdown of what they can't sell.

Anyone found selling anything on the list faces fines of up to $100,000 per infraction and up to $15 million for a related series of infractions.

Yep, you could be fined $15 million dollars for selling a box full of the wrong kind of bath toys.

Before you get all freaked out, take a deep breath. CPSC says the fines are intended for large companies with serious infractions. In the first place, you are probably not intentionally selling lead toys to unsuspecting garage sale shoppers. And second, I doubt that the CPSC has time and manpower to send an inspector to your garage sale. But it is a good heads-up of the expansion of government influence in resale circles, as well as a good awareness raiser about checking the recall list on toys your may be putting in your garage sale.

Let's work together to keep our kids safe, and avoid $15 million dollar fines!

-bk

Fox News - New Government Policy Imposes Strict Standards on Garage Sales Nationwide

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