KVue.com has a piece up about a new federal law from 10th February which will make it illegal to re-sell “any used children’s products, including toys and clothing”. This could potentially have serious ramifications for preowned games.

It might not seem too significant at first glance, but it’s being reported here that the ban could include “videos, computer and electronics products”.

The law is being brought into force after the US Consumer Protection & Safety Commission reported that dozens of toys had been recalled in 2008 because of concerns about lead poisoning. This means that “toys, clothing and other items used by children under 12 will be subjected to
lead testing and will have to have labels on them to prove that they have passed inspection”, says KVue.com.

It’s not yet clear whether this act is all-encompassing, but certain major US stores rely so heavily on second-hand sales that it seems likely prices will be forced upwards, or shops will go out of business. And eBay is likely to be seriously hit, too - as someone who has imported toys in the past for my son, it seems I won’t get the opportunity to buy used goods for much longer.

I’m sure we’ll hear more about this nearer the time the law comes into force - it could be that videogames won’t be affected, but if they are, expect this news to snowball over the next few weeks…

(Thanks to Chris Smith for the tip-off)

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 8:22 pm by Chris Schilling
Legal issues, Misc news, Surprises, controversy.