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I watched a friend's online store get hit with a $5,000 fine over a simple label mistake.
He sells handmade candles in Austin and didn't put the right fire safety warning on the bottom. He thought his home insurance covered it, but it didn't. The city sent the fine after a single complaint. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise product labeling rule that wasn't on their radar?
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the_sam1mo ago
Ouch, that's a brutal wake-up call. My first product had a typo in the ingredients list, so I guess I got off easy with just some confused customers. It's wild how one tiny detail can cost so much. I feel like you need a law degree just to sell a candle these days.
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the_william1mo agoTop Commenter
Tell me about it. My buddy got sued because his soap label said "all natural" but had one preservative in it. The legal stuff feels designed to trip up small businesses. Sometimes I miss just selling stuff at a flea market without paperwork.
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Honestly that fine sounds totally fair to me. Those fire warnings on candles are a basic safety thing, not some hidden trap. If you're selling a product that can start a fire, you have to follow the rules to protect customers. It's not about tripping up small businesses, it's about making sure people don't get hurt. A five thousand dollar mistake is rough, but maybe it makes everyone else check their labels twice.
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