There are many talented designers on ebay selling wonderful handcrafted boutique clothing for children. There are several very helpful ebay guides with information on how to find them & buy handcrafted clothing. This guide does not. This guide is sharing information on the Federal Trade Commissions requirements for labeling textile garments sold to consumers.

Details on FTC requirements can be found here on the FTC's website: ftc.gov (sorry, I am not allowed to include off ebay links) Go to the FTC site, click on consumer protection, business information, clothing & textiles.

Basic requirements for garments sold to consumers in the U.S.

1. Labels must be permenently attached to the garment in a place that is easy to find such as the back of the neck or side seam.

There are exceptions to this rule for items that do not cover a significant portion of the body such as gloves, hats, socks etc. However, for a typical garment item such as shirt, dress, pants, jacket, etc. they much be sewn into the garment.

2. Garment labels must include the following information:

A. The name of the manufacturer or business name of the maker.

B. The amount and fiber content of the garment of all fibers in the amount of 5% or more. These should be listed in decending order if there are multiple types. example: 90% cotton, 10% polyester. Or, 100% cotton.

some parts (such as collars) or decorations may be exluded if they make up less than 15% of the garment. Then your garment label might read " 100% cotton exclusive of decoration"

C. Country where the item was made. example "Made in the USA". If the textiles used to make the garment were made in another country, this must also be disclosed. example: "Made in the USA of imported fabric". You do not necessarily have to name the country from which the fabric was imported.

D. care instructions.

Details on care instruction requirements can be found on the FTC's website: ftc.gov (sorry, I am not allowed to post off ebay links) Go to the FTC site, click on consumer protection, business information, clothing & textiles, complying with care labeling rule.

These are just the highlights of the FTC's requirements and the information is simply a guide. But these requirements DO apply to all of us making handcrafted garments for sale to the consumer. I believe that many handcrafters are not aware of these requirements or think that these requirements do not apply to them because they are not a large "commercial manufacturer". Many handcrafters believe that they can simply include the information on a removeable hang tag. For clothing, that is not the case.

So, I would encourage all boutique designers & handcrafters to educate themselves on the FTC requirements as it applies to them.