Rethinking Secondhand
Owners and operators of secondhand stores and thrift shops across the U.S. are in a bit of a panic these days, due to a new law that goes into effect Feb. 10. The law was passed in August in a reaction to a spate of toy recalls, most due to lead content. The legislation will be administered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the agency does not plan to target second-hand stores but will be focusing its efforts on the most hazardous items.
Grandparents and other consumers who rely heavily on used goods are justifiably concerned, but this is hardly a new problem. As I pointed out in a recent article, buyers of used baby gear should not take the safety of items for granted. They should check the age of the articles and also peruse recall lists before purchasing. The toughest problem is lead content. It's impractical for second-hand stores to check each item for lead content, and home test kits are unreliable. Ultimately, the burden is going to fall on consumers. We will need to become smarter buyers and habitual readers of recall lists. I would say that anyone who is not willing to do so should simply buy new items, but, as we have been realizing for the last couple of years, buying new items is no guarantee of safety. Maybe the new law will change that. I'm guardedly optimistic.
Read more about it on About.com.
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