A seasonal product with a fixed deadline
Christmas and festive décor is one of the product categories at the IHGF Delhi Fair run by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). Orders typically mix many small styles: hanging ornaments, tree toppers, table pieces, wreaths, stockings and Advent pieces, in glass, metal, felt, wood and beadwork. Metal ornaments come from metal-craft towns such as Moradabad, a Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts; glass from glass-artware makers, and Firozabad is the Town of Export Excellence for glass artwares.
Two things set this category apart. First, the deadline cannot move: goods that miss the selling season wait a year. A failed inspection late in the schedule is very costly, so an inspection during production, while there is still time to fix faults, is worth considering. Second, the number of styles is high and each is small, so a lot of the inspection is counting: right style, right colour, right number per box.
Light-up décor with mains or battery supply adds electrical checks not covered on this page.
What we check on festive decorations
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Cap and hanging loop | Ornament hung by its loop and pulled with the load in the buyer's protocol; cap wire checked for grip on the bauble neck | Cap pulls off, loop opens, thread knot slips |
| Glass baubles | Held to light for thin spots, cracks and uneven wall; neck checked for sharp edges | Thin or cracked walls, sharp neck rim |
| Glitter, paint and lacquer | Rub test with a dry cloth or tape, as agreed | Glitter sheds heavily, paint lifts, colour transfers to the cloth |
| Attached parts | Beads, bells, sequins and eyes pulled by hand | Parts come away easily |
| Metal edges | Hand and cloth run over cut and pierced metal ornaments | Burrs, sharp points |
| Assortment and count | Inner boxes opened and counted against the PO and the assortment sheet | Wrong mix of styles or colours, short count |
| Colour across the order | Pieces from different batches laid side by side with the approved sample | Visible shade difference within one colour story |
| Labels | Retail labels, barcodes and any "decoration, not a toy" text checked | Missing or wrong label; label missing the language for the market |
Common Christmas and festive decoration defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Class |
|---|---|
| Broken glass in the inner box; sharp edge on a glass neck | Critical |
| Small part detaches from a piece with toy-like appeal | Critical or major, as the buyer sets |
| Cap or loop fails the pull test | Major |
| Wrong assortment or short count | Major |
| Heavy glitter shedding | Major |
| Colour off the approved sample | Major or minor by severity |
| Uneven thread length on the hanger; small paint spot | Minor |
Decoration or toy? The rules
- EU. Annex I of the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC lists "decorative objects for festivities and celebrations" among products not considered toys. Commission Guidance Document No 20 (2021) says each product is still judged case by case, and that reasonably foreseeable use counts for more than the maker's declared use. The new Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 applies from 1 August 2030 and narrows the wording to festive decorations "that do not have a play value". A soft felt animal ornament that a child would play with can therefore be a toy, needing EN 71 testing. Decorations that are not toys fall under the GPSR; REACH restricts lead in articles that children can put in their mouths.
- US. CPSC guidance in 16 CFR 1200.2 says decorative items such as holiday decorations and seasonal items intended only for display, which children are not likely to interact with, are generally not children's products. Theme, embellishment and how the item is marketed can change that, and a children's product brings in CPSIA testing and ASTM F963 for toys. Lead in paint and brass is also a Prop 65 issue.
- Wooden ornaments. Ornaments of wood (HS 4420) are on the EUDR Annex I list; see EUDR.
The inspection cannot decide the legal status, but it records the features that matter: size, detachable parts, theme and labels.
Packing and transit risks
Glass baubles travel in moulded or divided inner boxes, one per cell, with the cap packed fitted or separately as agreed. Glitter pieces need tissue between them or they mark each other. Retail display boxes with windows crush easily, so master cartons must be strong enough for the full stack height. Felt and fabric pieces packed damp can smell or grow mould by the time they reach a store. Because the season is fixed, also check carton marks and quantities closely: a mislabelled carton found late may not be sold in time.
What to put in your purchase order
- Assortment sheet for each box: styles, colours and quantities.
- Pull-test load for caps and hanging loops.
- Glitter and paint rub test, and the acceptable result.
- Whether each item is decoration only or may appeal to children, and the label text that follows.
- Inner box type and drop test for glass.
- Ship date and an inspection plan that leaves time to re-work.
Many styles mean more counting: a large assortment can take more than one man-day. See pricing and consider a during-production inspection before the main run is packed.
Sources
- IHGF Delhi Fair (EPCH): product categories
- Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys, Annex I
- Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys
- European Commission: toy safety guidance documents (incl. No 20)
- 16 CFR 1200.2, definition of children's product
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Firozabad)
- EPCH press release: Moradabad declared a Town of Export Excellence (31 Mar 2023)