The General Product Safety Regulation for online sellers: what product pages must now show

What the GPSR replaced

Regulation (EU) 2023/988, the General Product Safety Regulation, replaced the General Product Safety Directive of 2001. It applies to consumer products placed on the EU market that are not covered by more specific safety legislation, and it fills gaps where sector rules do not address certain risks.

Because it is a regulation, the same rules apply directly in all member states from 13 December 2024. It modernises product safety for online selling, connected products and supply chains in which manufacturers are often outside the EU and customers buy through marketplaces.

The regulation places duties on manufacturers, importers, distributors and fulfilment service providers, and specific obligations on providers of online marketplaces. A business can hold more than one of these roles, for example a brand that imports its own products and sells them through its shop.

Information that online listings must display

Where products are offered online or through other distance sales, the offer must clearly and visibly show certain information. This is the part of the GPSR that most directly affects product pages, marketplace listings and product data feeds.

Manufacturer details

The manufacturer’s name, registered trade name or trademark, and postal and electronic address.

EU responsible person

Where the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and postal and electronic address of the responsible person in the EU.

Product identification

Information allowing the product to be identified, including a picture, its type and any other product identifier.

Warnings and safety information

Any warning or safety information that must be affixed to the product or included with it, in a language consumers can easily understand as determined by the member state where the product is offered.

A responsible economic operator in the EU

Products covered by the GPSR may only be placed on the market if there is an economic operator established in the EU responsible for certain tasks, such as a manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider. That operator’s details must be indicated on the product, its packaging, parcel or an accompanying document.

For EU brands this is usually straightforward, because they are the manufacturer. For sellers sourcing products from outside the EU, or for non-EU brands selling directly to EU consumers, it means appointing and naming a responsible operator. Marketplaces increasingly require this information before listings can go live.

Safety assessment, documentation and accidents

Manufacturers must carry out an internal risk analysis and draw up technical documentation before placing products on the market, and keep it for ten years. Products must carry identifying information, such as a type, batch or serial number, and the manufacturer’s contact details.

Manufacturers must also provide communication channels, such as a phone number, email address or website section, through which consumers can file complaints and report accidents or safety issues. Accidents caused by a product that result in death or serious adverse effects on health must be notified to the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway.

Distributors, including online shops that sell other companies’ products, must verify that the manufacturer and importer have met their information obligations before making products available, and must not sell products they consider or have reason to believe are unsafe.

Recalls and remedies

The GPSR sets rules for product safety recalls. Recall notices must follow required content, such as a clear title with the words product safety recall, a description and picture of the product, a description of the hazard and what consumers should do. Businesses must use all available channels to reach affected consumers, including directly contacting customers whose details they hold, for example through customer accounts or order records.

Consumers affected by a recall must be offered an effective, cost-free and timely remedy, which includes at least one of repair, replacement or a refund of at least the value paid. Sellers with good order data and customer contact records can manage recalls far more efficiently than those that cannot identify who bought what.

Marketplaces

Providers of online marketplaces have their own obligations. They must register with the Safety Gate portal, designate a single point of contact for product safety, design their interfaces so sellers can provide the required product information, and act on orders from authorities to remove dangerous product offers within tight deadlines.

In practice, marketplaces pass these requirements to sellers through mandatory listing fields, document requests and account checks. Sellers who cannot supply manufacturer or responsible person details may find listings blocked.

Making it manageable in product data

Treat GPSR information as product attributes, not free text. Add structured fields for manufacturer details, EU responsible person, product identifiers, warnings and safety information in the relevant languages to the product information management system or shop database.

Populate these fields from supplier data and require them in the product onboarding workflow. Output them consistently on product pages, marketplace feeds and packing documentation. Keep supplier documentation and declarations linked to the product record.

Finally, check that order data allows customers to be contacted in a recall, and that the website has a clear route for product safety complaints. This article is a general overview; businesses should confirm obligations for their specific products and roles.

Where this sits in what we do

This article covers one decision inside a wider engagement. The solution page sets out how that engagement runs, what it includes and what it costs to find out.

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