GPSR Explained: EU Product Safety Rules for Sellers

Since 13 December 2024, anyone selling consumer products to people in the EU has to follow the General Product Safety Regulation, or GPSR. It changed what your online listings must show and who must stand behind each product inside the EU. This explainer walks through the rules in plain language and gives you a practical checklist. It is general information, not legal advice, so confirm the details for your products with the European Commission's guidance or a specialist.

Flat lay of colorful children's toys including blocks and small figures spread across a surface — Toys, gadgets and homeware: almost every consumer product sold into the EU falls under the GPSR.

Key takeaways

The GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, has applied since 13 December 2024 and replaced the old General Product Safety Directive.
It covers consumer products sold to EU consumers, including online sales from outside the EU that target them.
Online listings must show manufacturer details, EU responsible person details where relevant, product identifiers and safety information.
A product cannot be placed on the EU market without an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for it.

For years, product safety rules in the EU were written mainly with shops and importers in mind. Online selling grew faster than the law. A seller in another continent could list a product on a marketplace, ship it straight to a consumer, and leave EU authorities with nobody to talk to if something went wrong.

The GPSR closes that gap. It updates the general safety net for consumer products and pays specific attention to distance sales. If you sell physical products to EU consumers, from candles to phone cases to toys, it almost certainly applies to you.

What the GPSR is and what it replaced

The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 is the EU's baseline law for the safety of consumer products. It replaced the General Product Safety Directive. Because it is a regulation rather than a directive, it applies directly in every member state, which means the core rules are the same across the EU rather than varying by national implementation. Enforcement, penalties and market surveillance still sit with national authorities.

13 Dec 2024 Date from which the General Product Safety Regulation applies, replacing the General Product Safety Directive Regulation (EU) 2023/988

The GPSR works as a safety net. Many products also fall under specific EU laws, such as the rules for toys, electrical equipment or cosmetics. Where a specific law covers a risk, it generally takes the lead, and the GPSR fills in the gaps. Where no specific law exists, the GPSR is the main rulebook.

Who the GPSR applies to

The regulation applies to consumer products placed or made available on the EU market. That includes products sold online to EU consumers, even if the seller is located elsewhere, when the sale targets EU consumers. Signs of targeting can include delivering to EU countries, using EU languages or currencies, or having an EU domain.

Several roles carry obligations:

Manufacturers, meaning whoever makes the product or has it made and sells it under their name or trademark. If you put your brand on a white-label product, you are likely the manufacturer.
Importers, who bring products from outside the EU onto the EU market.
Distributors, who sell products made by others without changing them.
Online marketplaces, which must collect key information from sellers and cooperate with authorities.

Common mistake

Assuming the rules only apply to big brands or to "risky" categories. The GPSR covers consumer products generally. A small shop selling handmade soap, printed mugs or kids' clothing still needs safe products and compliant listings.

What your online listings must show

This is the part that changed day-to-day work for most sellers. When you offer a product online to EU consumers, the listing must clearly display:

Manufacturer details. The manufacturer's name, registered trade name or trademark, plus a postal address and an electronic address such as an email or contact page.
EU responsible person. If the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and contact details of the economic operator in the EU who is responsible for the product.
Product identification. Information that lets consumers identify the product, including a picture, the type and, where available, a batch or serial number or other identifier.
Warnings and safety information. Any warning or safety information that must go on the product or its packaging, in a language consumers in that country can easily understand.

On a marketplace, there are usually dedicated fields for this information. On your own store, you can add a "Product safety" section or tab to each product page. Keep the information consistent with what is printed on the product and packaging.

Pro tip

Build a simple product safety record for each item, with the manufacturer details, responsible person, identifiers, warnings and translations. Then copy from that one record into every channel, so your shop, marketplaces and packaging never contradict each other.

Table covered with assorted colorful toys of different shapes and sizes — Each product needs clear identifiers and warnings that buyers can read before they order.

The EU responsible economic operator

A key principle of the GPSR is that a product must not be placed on the EU market unless there is an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for it. Depending on the situation, that can be the manufacturer, an importer, an authorized representative or a fulfillment service provider.

For sellers based outside the EU, including in the UK and the US, this is often the biggest practical change. If you make or brand your own products and ship them to EU consumers, you typically need someone in the EU who takes on this role. That person's details go on your listings and on the product, packaging or accompanying documents.

The responsible operator has real duties, such as checking that technical documentation and instructions are in order, cooperating with authorities and helping with corrective action if a product turns out to be unsafe. It is not just a mailbox service, so choose a provider carefully and agree in writing what they do.

Safety duties behind the listing

Compliant listings are the visible part. Behind them, manufacturers in particular have to make sure products are actually safe and that they can show how.

Risk analysis. Manufacturers should assess the risks a product presents, considering things like how it will be used, who will use it (including children), and how it is presented.
Technical documentation. Keep a record of that assessment and the product's details, and keep it available for authorities.
Instructions and warnings. Provide clear instructions and safety information in the right languages.
Traceability. Make sure products carry identifiers and that you can trace who supplied you and who you supplied.
Complaints and incidents. Have a channel for consumers to report safety concerns, and act on them.

Distributors and sellers of others' products have lighter duties, but they still need to check that the manufacturer and importer have done their part, for example that the required labels and information are present, and must not sell products they know or should know are unsafe.

When something goes wrong

If you discover that a product you sold is dangerous, the GPSR expects action. That can include informing the authorities, warning consumers and organizing a recall. Accidents caused by a product must be reported to the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway, the European Commission's online portal for businesses.

A recall notice should be clear and easy to understand, and the remedy offered to consumers should be effective. Plan ahead: know how you would contact every customer who bought a specific batch, which is much easier if you track batch numbers against orders.

Example

Imagine a small US shop that sells a branded line of children's night lights to customers in France and Italy. Under the GPSR, it counts as the manufacturer because the products carry its brand. It appoints an EU-based responsible person, adds the manufacturer and responsible person details to each listing, shows batch numbers and product photos, and translates the safety warnings into French and Italian. It also sets up a simple log linking each batch to the orders it shipped, so a recall would be manageable.

Marketplaces and the GPSR

Online marketplaces have their own GPSR duties. They must design their interfaces so sellers can provide the required information, display it with listings and cooperate with market surveillance authorities. In practice, this means marketplaces ask sellers for manufacturer and responsible person details and may block or remove listings that lack them.

If you sell on several marketplaces, expect each one to collect the information in its own way. Treat a missing field as a compliance gap, not a form to skip.

Your GPSR action plan

List every product you sell to EU consumers and who the manufacturer is for each
Decide whether you are the manufacturer, importer or distributor for each product
Appoint an EU responsible economic operator if no one in the EU is responsible yet
Add manufacturer, responsible person, identifiers and warnings to every listing
Make sure the same details appear on products, packaging or included documents
Translate warnings and instructions for each country you sell to
Set up a way to trace batches to orders in case of a recall
Save the Safety Business Gateway in your incident procedure

Frequently asked questions

Does the GPSR apply to UK sellers?

It applies to products sold to consumers in the EU, wherever the seller is based. A UK business shipping to EU consumers generally needs to comply, including having an EU-based responsible operator. Products sold in Great Britain follow UK product safety law instead, so check GOV.UK for that side.

Does the GPSR apply to handmade or second-hand products?

Handmade consumer products are generally in scope. Second-hand products are also covered in many cases, though there are some exclusions, for example for antiques and products clearly sold for repair. Check the Commission's guidance for your specific case.

Do I need CE marking because of the GPSR?

Not because of the GPSR itself. CE marking comes from specific EU product laws, such as those for toys or electrical equipment. Some products need both CE marking and GPSR compliance, others only the GPSR.

The bottom line

The GPSR turns product safety from a background issue into something visible on every listing. Know your role for each product, make sure there is a responsible operator in the EU, show the required details clearly and keep the documentation that proves your products are safe. Small shops that set up one clean product record per item find the rules manageable.

Guidance on the regulation continues to develop and enforcement happens nationally. Check the European Commission's GPSR pages, your marketplace's seller guidance and, for higher-risk products, a product compliance specialist before you list.