>
> (we DO all realize that these cheap electronics gadgets that we get direc=
t
> from China are essentially smuggled goods, right?   They bypass customs,
> they bypass safety testing, they bypass FCC testing, and who knows what
> else...  That might be morally justifiable on an individual basis, but if
> retailers start importing (say) cheap USB power supplies by the thousands
> that don't meet their specs and are designed "dangerously", and they neve=
r
> go through testing or inspections, that IS the sort thing that Customs is
> supposed to stop.  Right?)
>

This is one thing I'll weigh in on with my full-on SparkFun employee cap on=
..

We work hard (and harder every day, as we "grow up" as a company) to make
sure that the goods we sell meet the specs that they claim. We've axed
suppliers
for quality failures, we've refused to sell products that do not meet the
required
FCC compliance standards (and that means more than checking for the FCC
logo on the box)(which, I will add, is more than *many* far larger business
than
we are doing), and we ask that our suppliers provide documentation where
needed (RoHS, for example).

Are we perfect? No. Are we improving? Yes.

Mike H.
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