IMPORTANT DEADLINES

TO RECEIVE YOUR BARCODE PACKET BY MAIL, ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (WED)! Barcode orders submitted Thur & Fri need to be picked up at Basketball Academy Sat. after 9am or anytime during drop off hours.

THE ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN AT 10pm ON FRIDAY. Barcode orders or workshift requests need to be emailed to info@littletreasuressale.com or call 216.2223. If something comes up and you need to change your drop-off time - no need to call - come during regular drop-off hours and we'll work you in.

Here we go...

Little Tikes Toy Recall

Little Tikes Co. is recalling 1.6 million workshop sets and trucks due to a choking hazard.

Plastic nails (red or blue) sold with a variety of Little Tikes children's products are the culprit. The recall includes the Electronic Project Workshop, Little HandiWorker Workhorse, Home Improvements 2-Sided Workshop, Swirlin' Sawdust Workshop and Black Pickup Truck with Tools.

You should immediately remove the nails and contact the company for instructions on how to obtain free replacement parts.

The affected toys were sold at retailers nationwide and online, from March 1994 through June 2009, for between $25 and $100. The products were manufactured in the U.S. and China.

For more information, visit http://cpsc.gov.

15 bins of toys on the wall

Finally started tagging my own stuff yesterday for Little T Sale and enlisted the help of my soon-to-be middle-school-bound daughter. She's quite the whip cracker. We sorted 15 bins of toys, clothes, shoes and books and tagged 5 of them. 

I decided to work backwards this season. I started tagging the stuff I dread first -- the things that never seem to make it into the sale because I don't get around to it. Puzzles, books and toys. I think I'm going to need a U-haul to get it there.

Hmmm...let's see.  A little sweat + 8 solid hours with my daughter + 15 bins removed from my basement = cash in my pocket. Works for me. 

Happy tagging...we'll be back at again tonight! 

My favorite little things

I have a lot of favorite clothing purchases from Little Treasures, especially for my Mia. She's decked out in Little T finds from head to toe everyday. From handmade custom outfits to the cutest little $1 tee that says "Miso cute" and has little chopsticks on it... But probably my favorite find ever was a little lobster costume she wore on Halloween when she was 3. Oh and my oldest daughter found a yellow coach purse for $10!

Fact or Fiction

We hear all kinds of things about seasonal sales -- some are factual and some, well, not so much. Probably the biggest myth of all however, is the one Little Treasures is happy to de-bunk:

Fiction: "The big sale has more sellers, more competition and my things have less of a chance of selling."

Fact:  We wondered the same thing which is why we've watched this statistic closely. As our sale grows in number of sellers, on average, our sellers make more each time. Average per seller sales increase dramatically each season because average number of shoppers increases dramatically, too. To put it in perspective...in the past two years, Little Treasures' average pay per seller has doubled!

The bottom line is this: If you have nice things in great condition and they are priced very reasonably, they will sell. 

Little Treasures Kid's Sale registration is currently open for our fall/winter sale! Register today: www.littletreasuressale.com. 

 

Ready for the fall/winter sale?

Yep. It's that time again. I hate to even say it out loud, but summer will be gone before we know it. That's why Little Treasures Kid's Sale is already up and running - ready for registrations and barcode orders all summer long - so you can avoid some of the craziness that comes with the back-to-school season. 

If you've never experienced selling with Little Treasures, before you let your kid's things go for pennies at a yard sale, check out how to consign at our upcoming Fall/Winter sale. 

Join our group

We're on Facebook now:  Check out our group and connect with other Little T Moms!

Click here to join Little Treasures Kid's Sale group on Facebook.

See you at the sale!  Don't forget...we're at HOOPS March 5-8, 2009.

Wave 3 interveiw

Here's a link to the story WAVE 3 ran about the clarification of the product law with my comments:  See story

One thing I need to note is that he stated consignment is now "exempt from the law." That's not exactly the case. We are not exempt from the law - we can't sell products that are over the lead limits. We are exempt from testing all products.

Stay tuned for details in the next blog on how Little Treasures will comply with CPSIA and how you can help as you prepare your items.

Here it is! CPSIA interpretation changes

CPSC just announced clarification to the new law that would ban reselling kids items that had not been tested for lead:

"...sellers of used children's products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

The new safety law does not require resellers to test children's products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children's products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less then the new limit. Those reseller that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties..."

We're good to go, people! We'll have testing available at our sale this season. Let's get these tainted toys out of circulation. 

Thanks for all your emails, calls and support! Thriftiness lives... 

Sites to voice your concern

Following sites are being circulated in an effort to have our collective voices heard about the how the product safety law will effect resale.  Can't hurt:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from _the_cpsia

http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal/1471/save-kid-s-clothing

Response from government expected today

My sources tell me that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission will release a statement today or tomorrow that addresses how the new law affects the resale industry.

Again, we are hopeful that the language will change to minimize the fallout.

I will post their statement as soon as it's made available. Keep checking the blog for details.

In the meantime, please familiarize yourself with product safety and the recall list:  www.cpsc.gov. You can even receive regular email feeds of the latest recalls.

Thank you for all your support!

CPSIA - What it means for thrifty parents

*Please note: Little Treasures Spring/Summer sale will proceed as scheduled. Please check our blog for regular updates on CPSIA and how it may effect items we can accept.

Have you heard about what's going on with the Consumer Product Safety Information Act (CPSIA) that goes into effect Feb. 10, 2009? We want to keep you informed and assure you that we are working with a network of other sales across the nation to get clarification from Congress on how this act may impact the resale industry.

CPSIA was signed in Aug. 2008 and it has great intentions to protect children (under 12) from exposure to lead and certain phthalates. In a nutshell, ALL children's products (including clothes) manufactured after 2/10/09 are required to have certification that lead does not exceed 660 ppm. But as written, it creates "unintended consequences" for the resale industry because it has been interpreted to apply to all children's products in commerce, regardless of manufacture date. Which means that reselling children's things that have not been tested for lead is illegal.

We want you to know that Little Treasures is 100% in favor of getting toxic children's products out of circulation. We are going to help with the effort. However, this piece of legislation's blanket approach will cause adverse effects to resale, the environment and families who need a way to make extra money during these tough times. 

We are reaching out to John Yarmuth in an effort to get clarification on the language of CPSIA and exactly what processes we need to put in place for our sale in the coming year.

Here are a few links that provide accurate information about the act and contact information for contacting congress if you choose to do so:

CPSIA

Smart Mama

Find your representative

Find your senator

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Please stay tuned for details. I will continue to post information as it becomes available. 

See you at the sale!

Spring 2009 updates

Happy New Year! Wanted to pass along some quick updates pertaining to our March sale:

• Spring/Summer Sale:  March 5-9, 2009
• Please note our new location:  HOOPS off I-64 & Blankenbaker Rd.  
• We decided against accepting up-front registration fees online. It will be automatically deducted from your net sales at the end.  
• Two options for registration: $15 standard (includes barcode packet + tags + shipping & handling) or $12 print-my-own tags (includes barcode packet + shipping & handling).
• All barcode packets will be mailed within 48 hours of submitting your barcode order through the website.
• If you want the $12 print-my-own option, please notify us by email (billjanseymour@bellsouth.net) immediately after submitting your barcodes.
• Barcode orders need to be limited to 500 labels.
• Try to submit all barcodes on the same day. Additional barcode orders placed after your packet is mailed will incur additional postage fees. We will have a barcoding station on drop-off days for any last minute barcode needs.
• Consignor kits are still available for $12. Email billjanseymour@bellsouth.net after you submit your barcodes if you would like a consignor kit. It includes zip ties, packing tape, 50 hangers, 100 safety pins, 10 ziploc bags and a Little T shopping bag.

Happy tagging!  See you in March.