GPSR: the product safety regulation that affects every importer
Since 13 December 2024 the GPSR applies to practically all consumer products — including those without CE obligations. Amazon and other marketplaces enforce it rigorously: listings without a responsible person get suspended. What the regulation demands and how to fulfil it pragmatically.
5 min read · For importers and marketplace sellers
What distinguishes the GPSR from the old law
The GPSR replaces the old product safety directive and closes the gap for products without their own CE directive: furniture, textiles, jewelry, housewares, pet supplies. Three things are especially new: the requirement of an EU-established responsible person for every product, extended traceability and labelling duties, and direct obligations for online marketplaces — which is why Amazon now demands conformity data per listing.
The responsible person: your most important lever
Every consumer product needs an economic operator established in the EU who holds the conformity documentation and can communicate with authorities. Name and address must appear on the product, packaging or an accompanying document — plus an electronic contact. For importers this is usually their own company; those selling via fulfilment structures without an EU entity need an appointed service provider. Without this information: no marketability, suspended listings.
The practical implementation checklist
For every product in your range, tick off the following points:
- Responsible person with EU address on product/packaging
- Manufacturer identification and type/batch number applied
- Internal risk analysis documented (even without CE obligation!)
- Warnings and instructions in the market language
- Conformity data filed in Amazon Compliance Manager & co.
- Process for recalls and authority contact defined
What this concretely means for China imports
The Chinese manufacturer cannot and will not fulfil these duties for you — the responsible person must be established in the EU. Practically this means: GPSR labelling becomes part of the production specification (labels, packaging print, inserts), and the risk analysis plus documentation is created at import. That is exactly how we build it into every project: labelling from the factory, dossier with the delivery. Set up cleanly once, GPSR is routine — retrofitting is expensive.
Common questions about the GPSR
Does the GPSR also apply to stock imported before 12/2024?
Goods lawfully placed on the market before 13 Dec 2024 may be sold off. But: “placing on the market” means the first making available in the EU market, not the sale to end customers — and marketplaces query conformity data for existing listings anyway. Practically you rarely get around retrofitting the information.
Do non-CE products like textiles now need test reports too?
The GPSR does not demand specific tests, but a documented internal risk analysis — which sensibly relies on testing (REACH screening, mechanical safety, flammability depending on product). Rule of thumb: what you test anyway for good sourcing now becomes a documented mandatory exercise. We deliver the reports in structured form so the risk analysis is a form, not a project.
What happens in case of violations?
A tiered reality: first marketplaces suspend listings (already happening at scale and automated), then market surveillance measures follow from sales bans to recalls, plus fines under national law. The economic damage almost always comes via the listing suspension — protection against it, set up cleanly, costs a few cents per product.
Related topics
Import GPSR-proof
Labelling from the factory, test reports and dossier with delivery: we build the GPSR into your sourcing — just inquire with your product.