Blog with story #3: Why are toys, made in Europe, more expensive?

Price is one of the most important information when we are buying something. People are instinctively looking for the best deal: to get as much as possible and to pay as little as possible. We all do that. Sometimes we all do that same mistake: we buy the cheapest product. And after two months we are already buying a new one because the previous broke. On the end we learn a lesson: the cheapest probably is not the best. Besides that, usually, we do not know where the product was made and who made it.
European Union strives for the best quality of products, which are sold on the EU market. That means that every product, which is produced or imported in Europe, needs to be checked and confirmed. Experts look at products and check if they are in line with European norms. The one who is in line gets the CE sign. CE means “in line with European norms” from French words Conformité Européenne. Every product, sold in the EU, needs CE sign. When we see this sign on the packaging, we can be sure, that product was checked, and it is safe to use. We only need to be careful: Asian companies made a similar sign, which is also called CE, but it is slightly different. This sign means China Export and is used to mislead buyers and convince them into quality od these products. You can see the difference between the signs below.


The regulations are especially strict when it comes to toys. Children are very vulnerable, and these rules are there to protect them. Every toy, sold in the EU, need to be tested. Tests are different, depending on materials, used in toys, for example flammability test, breakable test, chemical check of all components and materials…and besides tests, the producer has to prepare special documentation with all details about production and products. And that means a lot of work, which costs a lot of money. And this could be one reason why EU toys are more expensive. Toys, imported from outside EU, should also be tested, but sometimes it happens, that they avoid testing or get the CE sigh even if they do not meet all regulations.
Besides safety for the user, we need to think about the safety of the producer too. Was the worker, who made this product, honestly paid (with health insurance, pension…) or was our toy made by a child, who needs to work to get food for his family? Labour is not cheap and if companies want to pay insurance to their workers, that costs a lot of money. And unfortunately, their products need to be more expensive.
And finally, we need to think about transport: did the product already travelled thousands of kilometres to come to us or was it made in our country, maybe in our city? It is nice to support local business when it is possible. That is how we can do something good for people, country and also the environment.