Hi I’m taking some knitted dolls to a craft fair and have been asked to sign a declaration saying they conform to the European Standard EN71 Safety of Toys. The toy stuffing that I use holds this certificate and also the BS5852 fire retardant certificate and I can obtain these from the company that supplied the stuffing.I don’t use buttons or beads for eyes so I guess I should be o’kay. I also make needle felted fairies which use wool roving and a pipe cleaner. Does anyone know if these would be o’kay to sell or would I have to get them tested ?
They will also need to be stress tested. I don’t know what weight but basically they get hung and a pull pressure is applied to make sure a toy doesn’t come apart.
They need to pass the fire test as well.
You can be self assessed but you have to get all the correct testing information.
I believe there is a facebook group and a seller on Folksy who’s been through it all.
You will need product liability as well.
Thanks that sounds like a lot of testing on a product that i don’t sell a lot of. Can you re-classify this product and say it is for display only in the home section. I’m sure I’ve seen that on another site?
No unfortuantly within the EU if something can be seen as a toy then it’s classified as a toy.
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Well done to the fair organisers for checking that everyone will be complying with trading standards. I’ve been to far too many places where beautiful, well made toys were having to compete with poorly thrown together stuff, and that just isn’t fair for those who do take the time and effort to be safe and legal.
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All toys must be CE compliant to be sold anywhere whether online, at a fair or in a shop. You can do the testing yourself - need en71-3 certs for all materials used, strength testing (I think it’s 7.2kg), and testing for flammability before and after washing. I think all toys need to be washable too. Items that have play value to a child are classified as toys and a notice stating otherwise is not permitted. Occasionally items such as dolls and teddies can be classified as collectables but the materials used and price tag must reflect they are high end items. You can buy conformance pack for soft toys which will guide you through the process for £25. I looked into making toys but have put on back burner cos too much like hard work to do. Not sure it’s worth the risk to sell without CE mark as if something were to happen to a child you would not be covered.
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There used to be a very comprehensive thread on the old forum about CE testing for toys, but I’ve no idea how to access it now. If you do a forum search using ‘CE testing’ it might bring up some useful links on previous threads. Otherwise, your local Trading Standards Office can give you all the information you’ll need.