Category: United States

CPSIA Children’s Product Certificate (CPC): A Practical Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

Toy manufacturer

Planning to import toys and children’s products to the United States or sell on Amazon? If so, a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) is mandatory. In this guide, we explain why you need a CPC, how to create on and why you should not rely on your overseas manufacturer to do it for you.

Overview

  • What is a Children’s Product Certificate?
  • Why do I need a Children’s Product Certificate?
  • Which products require a CPC?
  • What information do I need to include?
  • Who is responsible for issuing the Children’s Product Certificate?
  • Do I need to create a CPC for each product?
  • Do I need to create a CPC for each new order?
  • Can I get a CPC from my supplier?
  • Do I need to get the CPC approved by a third party?
  • How much does a Children’s Product Certificate cost?
  • Does Amazon require a Children’s Product Certificate?
  • Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) Sample

Continue reading CPSIA Children’s Product Certificate (CPC): A Practical Guide

General Certificate of Conformity (GCC): A Practical Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

Bike helmet

Planning to import products from Asia to the United States? Chances are that you must issue a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC). In this guide, we explain how this works in practice.

Content Overview

  • What is a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)?
  • Which products require a GCC?
  • Is a GCC required for all products?
  • What information must be included in the GCC?
  • Who issues the GCC?
  • Do I need to get the GCC approved by a third party?
  • Do I need a GCC test report?
  • Can I get the GCC from the manufacturer?
  • How much does it cost to get a GCC?
  • What’s the difference between a CPC and GCC?

Bonus: General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) Sample Continue reading General Certificate of Conformity (GCC): A Practical Guide

CPSIA and ASTM F963 Product Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

CPSIA testing

CPSIA lab testing is mandatory when importing and selling toys and other children’s products in the United States. This guide answers the essential questions about CPSIA and ASTM testing that all importers and Amazon sellers must know.

This is covered
  • What is CPSIA lab testing?
  • Is CPSIA lab testing mandatory?
  • Can I use a test report from my supplier?
  • Do I need to test all the products?
  • Do I need to test my products each time we place an order?
  • Do I need to get the lab test done in the United States?
  • Does Amazon require CPSIA test reports?
  • Do I need to get my product tested if it’s already sold in the United States?
  • How to confirm applicable ASTM and other standards
  • How to manage your lab test booking
  • CPSIA lab testing costs
  • List of CPSIA lab testing companies

Continue reading CPSIA and ASTM F963 Product Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

How to Determine Applicable Product Safety Standards: 5 Methods

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 2 Comments

Suggestion: Watch the 15 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

How do you know which product safety standards and labeling requirements apply your product?

Finding information on product regulations, be it a simple t-shirt or a new electronic device, is often the hardest part of the compliance process. In this guide, we list official websites and service providers that can help you find out which regulations apply to your products.

This is covered

  • US Government Websites
  • EU Government Websites
  • Australian Government Websites
  • Online Platforms
  • Testing Companies
  • Compliance Consultants
  • Amazon Seller Central

In addition, you will also learn how lab testing companies and consultants can help you assess mandatory product regulations and standards for your products.

Compliance Checklist

You’re not going to get very far unless you know what to look for using the sources referenced in this guide. While requirements differ depending on the product, age group and country – you should use this universal product compliance checklist when assessing which regulations and standards apply to your product:

1. Confirm mandatory product regulations and directives (e.g. REACH and CPSIA)

2. Confirm applicable product standards (e.g. EN, ASTM and ISO)

3. Confirm applicable labeling requirements (e.g. CE and CPSIA Tracking Label)

4. Confirm applicable documentation/certification requirements (e.g. DoC and CPC)

5. Confirm facility requirements (e.g. GMP and ISO 22000) Continue reading How to Determine Applicable Product Safety Standards: 5 Methods

United States Product Labeling Requirements: An Overview

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

Suggestion: Watch the 15 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Planning to import or export products to the United States? In this article, we explain what you must know about product and packaging labeling requirements, covering everything from clothing and electronics to children’s products and household items.

Overview

  • Country of Origin
  • CPSIA Tracking Label
  • Clothing Labeling
  • FCC Mark
  • UL Mark
  • Choking Hazard Warnings
  • California Proposition 65 Warning Label
  • FHSA Warning Label
  • Amazon Product Labeling Requirements

Country of Origin

The country of origin must be visibly printed on the product and packaging. For example, products manufactured in Vietnam should be labelled as ‘Made in Vietnam.

Note that you are not allowed to transship a product to a third country for relabeling. The same applies to repackaging or minor adjustments made for the sake of claiming that a certain product was manufactured in a different country.

Examples

  • Made in China
  • Made in Vietnam
  • Made in the United States
  • Made in Germany

Continue reading United States Product Labeling Requirements: An Overview

Electronic Product Compliance in Practice: By Fabien Gaussorgues

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

fabien sofeast

Electronic product compliance goes beyond listing safety standards and paperwork. Ensuring compliance when importing, exporting or manufacturing electronic devices starts at the drawing board.

In this article, Fabien Gaussorgues of Sofeast Limited in Shenzhen, shares his profound technical expertise and explains what electronic product compliance really means in practice.

How do you normally assess which electronics standards and regulations apply to a product?

To generalize the very start of a New Product Specifications Development, the initial design requirements document would show what problem the product is going to solve and high level product expectations that will be experienced directly or indirectly by the end user. This document would also have design constraints such as size, weight, and major functionalities.

So now we have a starting point, it is time to start designing the product, this needs to be broken down into different components and documents such as:

  • Mechanical structure (e.g. a plastic case)
  • Electronic design
  • Assembly
  • Hardware requirements
  • User Interface (UI/UX if required)
  • System integration if product is integrated
  • Material considerations like recycling
  • Safety regulations (RoHS, CE, FCC)

You also need to consider the ease of manufacture and assembly at this stage, which in turn goes hand in hand with cost optimization. Continue reading Electronic Product Compliance in Practice: By Fabien Gaussorgues

Wood & Bamboo Product Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Vincent Cheng — 1 Comment

Suggestion: Watch the 15 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Planning or import wooden or bamboo products to the United States? In this guide, we explain what you must know about permits, fumigation, APHIS regulations and markings.

Covered Products

  • Wooden Handicrafts
  • Wooden Furniture
  • Bamboo Products
  • Wooden Packaging Materials
  • Fumigation and Heat Treatment Requirements
  • Other regulations

Wooden Handicrafts

Wood and bamboo regultations

For the wooden handicrafts products, it is regulated by the animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS) in the united states, and the scope of wooden handicrafts products including the example below:

  • Baskets
  • Birdhouse
  • Boxes
  • Picture frames
  • Pencils
  • Wooden furniture
  • Other items composed of wood

Approved Suppliers

The first step for importing wooden handicraft products from China is to check the APHIS list of approved wooden handicraft manufacturers.

Note that manufacturers are not considered approved until they have been added to the list. The list is maintained by the government of China as part of an agreement with the U.S.

  • Guangzhou Nanfang furniture Co.,Ltd
  • GL plastic goods MFG Co.Ltd
  • Crownwell (Heyuan) Co.Ltd
  • Gaoyao Lianrun arts & crafts Co.Ltd

Facility Requirements

The approved manufacturers produce wooden handicrafts according to specifications which have been agreed by the U.S and China. These products are designed to eliminate the presence of pests in their products. Also, it indicated that the manufacturers have met with the following requirements:

  • Heat treatment to the wooden handicraft product
  • The production area is neat and clean
  • Quarantine treatment to the wooden handicraft product
  • Quality management such as pest control and traceability system

Pre-Import Approvals

Once you have confirmed if the supplier is on the APHIS list, you may proceed to the ePermits website and apply for an import permit.

To access ePermits, you must have a USDA eAuthentication account and it can be registered online. You will also need to provide some general information for the application of the permit.

  • Product category
  • The registered number of the manufacturer
  • Personal contact
  • Quantity of goods

It takes approximately 30 days to receive the permit and you can keep track of the application status online.

The permit indicates the type of treatment the wood requires. Also if the wood component comes from either natural or planted forest stands, you will also need to fill out the declarations form for information such as:

  • Tree’s scientific name
  • Country of harvest
  • Value
  • Description

Continue reading Wood & Bamboo Product Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Clothing and Textiles Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Vincent Cheng — 1 Comment

Suggestion: Watch the 15 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Planning to manufacture, import or sell clothing or other textiles in the United States? In this guide, we explain what you must know about chemical regulations, labeling requirements, lab testing and much more concerning textiles compliance in the United States.

This is covered

  • California Proposition 65
  • Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA)
  • Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA)
  • Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)
  • ASTM Clothing Standards
  • US Textiles Labeling Rules
  • Country of Origin
  • Clothing Lab Testing

California Proposition 65

Proposition 65 is a California state law that requires businesses with 10 or more employees to provide warning signs on their products if the product contains any chemical that can cause cancer or reproductive harm. CA Prop 65 applies to all consumer products including both children’s and adult products sold in California. Hence, apparel and textiles are also under CA Prop 65 as well.

Notice that CA Prop 65 is just allowing consumers to know if any toxins in their products. It does not necessarily mean that a product violates the safety standards or requirements if it does or may contain any of the restricted substance. However, fail to comply with CA Prop 65 warning labeling rules can result in up to $2500 per day per violation.

In term of textiles, some substances are used in the textile industry that also regulated under CA Prop 65 such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates. When you importing textile products and sell in or to Calfornia, it is important to comply with CA Prop 65.

Continue reading Clothing and Textiles Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide