The General Product Safety Regulation came into force on 13 December 2024. If you sell non-food consumer products into the EU or UK, whether through Shopify, Amazon, or anywhere else, this affects you. Here's what it means and how to stay on the right side of it.
Online marketplaces are now required to enforce GPSR. Sellers without a compliant Responsible Economic Operator or correct product labelling risk having listings removed without warning.
The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), formally EU Regulation 2023/989, is the EU's updated product safety law. It replaced the older General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) on 13 December 2024 and now applies to virtually all non-food consumer products sold in the EU, including in Northern Ireland.
The goal is simple: ensure every product a consumer can buy is safe. But the practical requirements go well beyond that. They affect how you label products, who is legally responsible for them in the EU, and how you handle returns and recalls.
For brands selling into the UK and EU from overseas, whether you're based in the US, Australia, Canada, or anywhere else, GPSR introduces specific obligations that did not exist before.
GPSR applies to you if you sell any of the following into the EU or UK (Northern Ireland):
If your products are exclusively for professional use and never reach consumers, GPSR may not apply. Everything else: assume it does.
Here's what GPSR actually requires from brands selling into the EU:
If your brand is not based in the EU, there must be a Responsible Economic Operator (REO) established in the EU or Northern Ireland. This is a legal entity, such as an authorised representative, an EU-based importer, or a fulfilment service provider, who takes on compliance responsibility for your products. Without an REO, your goods are at risk of being blocked at the border and your marketplace listings can be removed.
Every product must carry the manufacturer's name and contact details, the REO's details, and a product identifier such as a batch or serial number. Warning and safety information must be provided in the language of the country of sale. So if you're selling to French customers, safety information must be in French.
Your Shopify product pages and marketplace listings must display manufacturer contact details, product identifiers (model number, images), CE marking where applicable, and any relevant warnings. This applies to every individual listing, not just your homepage.
You must have a process for notifying the EU's Safety Business Gateway if a product safety issue is identified, and a system for customer recalls. Businesses must notify the Gateway if a dangerous product is placed on the market, an accident or incident has occurred, or a recall is being undertaken due to safety concerns.
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Risk if ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible Economic Operator (REO) | All non-EU manufacturers/brands | Goods blocked at border, delisting from Amazon, Etsy, eBay |
| Product labelling | All sellers | Enforcement action, fines |
| Language-specific safety info | Selling to specific EU countries | Product bans, marketplace removal |
| Recall system | All sellers | Legal liability, reputational damage |
| Listing compliance | All online sellers | Listing removal, account suspension |
Non-compliance carries real consequences. Marketplaces began enforcing GPSR from December 2024 and enforcement is escalating through 2025:
ReturnRev is a UK-based returns warehouse, which means we sit at the exact intersection of where GPSR compliance gets complicated: returned goods, UK addresses, and re-entry into fulfilment.
Your returns land at a UK address, satisfying the requirement for a responsible presence in the market. Useful for recall logistics too.
Every return is photographed and graded. You get a documented condition record, which is critical evidence if a product safety dispute arises.
Non-compliant or damaged stock is separated before it goes back into the market, reducing the risk of unsafe products re-entering circulation.
Full visibility over returned stock, with photos and grade records per return: the kind of traceability GPSR requires you to maintain.
We don't provide legal compliance advice. For appointing a Responsible Economic Operator, speak to a specialist like EAS or a local EU compliance firm. What we do is handle the physical side of UK returns in a way that supports your compliance obligations, not undermines them.
Set up your UK returns operation in 24 hours. AI inspection on every return, real-time portal, no contract.
Get started, it's free to set upFrom £2.50 per return · No monthly fees · Cancel anytime