Time is way overdue for me to return to a topic started Dec. 23, 2021, when ordering lightbulbs. The Philips LEDs could not be shipped to California by Amazon. Apparently some bulbs are state sanctioned, while others are considered to be hazardous to human health (what isn’t in the Golden State) and thus prohibited.
I eventually found approved Philips LEDs and ordered two variations from separate sellers. Opening the boxes, the 14-watters stated that they were “certified to California Title 20”. As for the others, please take a close look at the Featured Image: “Not for sale in California”. Yikes! I was an unintentional lawbreaker.
I would never ever consider reporting an offense such as this—and have a legitimate get-out-of-jail excuse: SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 hysteria about the Omicron variant was full-throttle and California had reinstated mask mandates. With fears of people dying, Title 20 enforcement wasn’t a high priority.
Last summer, those bulbs started dying one after another. Now that they’re all gone, I finally reveal my unexpected legal infraction—by participation. I sold nothing illegal, but unwittingly bought illegal goods. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to take the box shot on June 23, 2023. I had saved the empties to someday illustrate this post, and here we here. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 320, 1/60 sec, 13mm (film equivalent); 5:23 p.m. PST.
Something else: Somebody got wind of the, ah, oversight, and those same Philip LEDs come with this warning on Amazon: “This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location”. Yep, I can’t buy them again—not that I would. The bulbs produce a low whine. The Ecosmart bulbs that I prefer are silent and legal in California.