I have been reading about WAHM's closing up because of this new law taking affect on feb 10th. Does this affect canadian WAHM's too? I am thinking of starting to make my own dipes and soakers but not sure if a new law is only going to make it more difficult.
Zabibaby
01-22-2009, 09:37 PM
It will affect you if you are selling to USA mamas but not if you ship within Canada.
naivete
01-22-2009, 09:42 PM
I'm pretty sure Canadians can still sell to whoever regardless, a US law obviously would not apply to Canadians the same way any other US law does not go over the border. Not sure if US people would be allowed to buy from you, but more Canadians are supporting canadian wahms now that the conversion rate is so crazy.
selinajean
01-23-2009, 03:14 PM
The law does not apply to Canadians. It seems pretty grey on whether or not an American customer would need to certify the individual product in order to import it via their purchase. Whether or not they need to certify it, that is up to them to do or ignore. You should be aware of the law in order to answer any questions, or direct your US customer to an info source. That way they can make an informed decision on their purchase.
Zabibaby
01-23-2009, 04:06 PM
The law does not apply to Canadians (they dont have to test if they dont want to and can continue to sell) or any other country, but I have read that it applies to items that enter the US, for example toys fromChina.
Their standards (China) are lower but US is concerned about what comes here, remember all the toys...??? Actually most of the toys or items with high lead content have come from China other countries (not Canada, but u kwim?)
Correct me someone if I am wrong.
Rainshine Designs
02-06-2009, 10:15 PM
This has been my take on it: As Canadians we can make and sell to Canadians no problem, just like always. I don't really see an issue with selling to US mamas, I just can't see US customs stopping a few diapers here and there because they don't have certification. I guess it's possible, but I don't think it's likely. I suppose that's really all we can tell US customers right now because I don't think anybody really knows. Maybe if we were selling in large quantities to US stores then there'd be an issue?
Anyone elses 2 cents?
Chey
02-08-2009, 02:13 PM
According to the law you would not be able to sell to people in the USA. I have pulled my US retailers and will not be selling to them again until the law is amended. There have been some changes made, however they don't help me much since I do not know the origin of most of my fabric, so short of having it tested I currently can not meet the requirements set out by the law. Because I have a licensed business and I sell in boutiques in Canada and the US I have to be careful about how I continue business. I will likely be shutting down the US side of my website as well until I can make some slings with fabric I can have certified. At the moment I have a few patterns in my stock that I could get certified since I know the manufacturer but no where near the selection I regularly stock on the US side. I would probably go form 9 styles down to 3 or so.
If you are a crafter, just selling a bit here and there, the law still applies. All items shipped into the US are supposed to be certified. Would the law ever be enforced against you?? It really isn't likely. the only way it would become a problem is if US customs opens and inspects your package. From what I have heard it rarely happens on small packages going into the US. I will probably still sell the odd thing to people outside of my website, and will still sell on etsy items made from fabric in which I can confirm the origin.
You can still freely sell within Canada and elsewhere in the world as long as you meet the import requirements for that country as well.
