Charity, Reselling Under Attack
In the name of “public health”…
Recently, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission started pushing its program, which they call “Resale Round-up.” It’s a plan that halts the sale of any item that fails the government’s standard on lead.
Note: THE GOVERNMENT’S STANDARD. Translate: Whatever they decide, whatever/whoever they don’t like. Doesn’t matter if there is truly a “threat” or not.
Do you wonder what that has to do with you? If so, let me ask you this: have you ever had a garage sale, a yard sale, or donated stuff for somebody else to have one? Did the items you sell and the items you gave away meet the government’s rules about lead?
What? You don’t know? There is a 24-page book that tells you what is banned.
There is a Web site that tells you what is illegal. And, if you get caught selling something on that list, you can be fined.
“How big a fine?” you might ask. It can be up to $100,000 per infraction. They actually plan to accuse innocent people of selling “deadly” items.
As Inez Tenenbaum, the CPSC chairman says, “Those who resell recalled children’s products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children’s lives at risk.”
Furthermore, this is going to hurt the time-honored charitable resale stores such as Salvation Army and Bethesda that, left to their own devices, helps communities nationwide:
“CPSC is partnering with the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS), the Salvation Army, state agencies, and others to alert re-sellers about recalled products, product hazards including cribs that do not meet current safety standards, drawstrings in children’s clothing, and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).”
These stores help thousands of people make ends meet. They’ve been around forever and why? Because of the goodness and generosity of your neighbors. Many people enjoy garage sales in their free time…another time-honored tradition in America under “surveillance”.
Now goodness and generosity could be considered a crime. Churches doing their own rummage sales for profit could be under attack or subject to fines. Some ‘hope’. Some ‘change’.
Spread the word…and tell your legislator what you think of this, too if you think it’s going a bit too far. We seriously wonder if anyone has ever been physically made ill or hurt by something they bought at a garage sale or from a charitable organization.
References:
Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Re-sellers
Resale Roundup 2009: Top Ten list of Recalled Children’s Products
