What is GPSR? The General Product Safety Regulation Explained (2026)

What is GPSR? The General Product Safety Regulation Explained (2026)

The General Product Safety Regulation — commonly known as GPSR — is the EU's most significant overhaul of product safety law in over 20 years. If you sell physical products to customers in the European Union, GPSR affects you directly, regardless of where your business is based. This guide explains what GPSR is, what it requires, who it applies to, and what you need to do to comply.

What GPSR Stands For

GPSR stands for General Product Safety Regulation, formally known as EU Regulation 2023/988. It replaced the previous General Product Safety Directive (GPSD, 2001/95/EC) and entered into full force on 13 December 2024.

The regulation applies across all 27 EU member states and — through equivalent national legislation — to products sold to UK consumers as well, making it one of the most far-reaching product safety frameworks in the world.

Why the EU Introduced GPSR

The previous product safety directive was written in 2001, before e-commerce existed at scale. It was designed for a world where products moved through physical supply chains — manufacturer to importer to distributor to retailer — and each step had a physical EU presence.

Today, a seller in Shenzhen can list a product on Amazon.de and have it delivered to a customer in Munich within 48 hours, with no EU-based entity involved at any stage. The old directive had no mechanism to address this.

GPSR was designed to close this gap. Its core objectives are:

• Ensure every consumer product on the EU market has an identifiable EU-based contact point responsible for its safety
• Extend product safety obligations to online marketplaces
• Create a unified digital system (the EU Safety Gate) for reporting and tracking unsafe products
• Establish clear, enforceable penalties for non-compliance

What GPSR Requires: The Key Obligations

1. Every Product Needs an EU Responsible Person

This is the most impactful requirement for non-EU sellers. Under GPSR Article 4, if you are not established in the EU, you must appoint an EU Responsible Person (also called an EU Authorised Representative or EC Rep) before your products can be sold to EU customers.

The Responsible Person must be physically located in an EU member state, hold your product's technical documentation, act as the contact point for EU market surveillance authorities, and coordinate any product recalls or corrective actions.

2. Product Labelling Requirements

Under GPSR Article 19, every consumer product sold in the EU must carry:

• The name and EU postal address of the manufacturer (or importer, if the manufacturer is outside the EU)
• The name and EU postal address of the Responsible Person (if different from the manufacturer)
• A product identifier (model number, batch number, or similar)
• Safety warnings relevant to the product category

These details must appear on the product itself, on its packaging, or on an accompanying document. A sticker or insert is acceptable for products where printing directly on the product is not practical.

3. Technical Documentation

Manufacturers and Responsible Persons must maintain a technical file for each product. This file must include a general description of the product and its intended use, a risk assessment identifying potential hazards, test reports or other evidence that the product meets applicable safety standards, and records of any incidents or complaints.

EU authorities can request this documentation at any time. The Responsible Person must be able to provide it within 10 days for products posing a serious risk, or within 30 days for standard requests.

4. Online Marketplace Obligations

GPSR introduced specific obligations for online marketplaces — a first in EU product safety law. Platforms like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and Zalando are now required to:

• Verify that sellers have designated a Responsible Person before allowing products to be listed
• Display the Responsible Person's contact information on product listings
• Remove listings that do not comply with GPSR requirements
• Cooperate with EU authorities on product safety investigations

This is why Amazon and Etsy now actively enforce Responsible Person requirements and deactivate listings that are missing this information.

5. Incident Reporting

If a product causes harm or poses a serious risk, the Responsible Person must report this to the EU Safety Gate portal within three days of becoming aware of the incident. This is a new, proactive reporting obligation that did not exist under the previous directive.

Who Does GPSR Apply To?

GPSR applies to any economic operator involved in placing consumer products on the EU market. This includes:

Products excluded from GPSR (these have their own specific regulations):

• Medicinal products and medical devices
• Food and feed products
• Live animals and plants
• Aircraft and aviation components
• Antiques

GPSR and the UK

The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020, but UK product safety law closely mirrors GPSR through the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 and subsequent updates. The UK's Product Safety Review, completed in 2024, introduced requirements very similar to GPSR for products sold in Great Britain.

For practical purposes, sellers targeting both EU and UK customers should treat the requirements as equivalent: both markets require an EU/UK-based Responsible Person, product labelling with contact details, and technical documentation.

This is why "gpsr uk" and "gpsr regulation" have significant search volume in the UK — UK sellers are subject to parallel requirements and are actively seeking guidance.

GPSR Enforcement: What Are the Penalties?

GPSR gives EU member states the authority to impose penalties, and each country sets its own fine levels within the EU framework. The regulation requires penalties to be "effective, proportionate, and dissuasive."

In practice, penalties can include:

• Fines based on annual turnover (up to 4% of global annual turnover for serious violations in some member states)
• Product recalls ordered by national authorities
• Market bans preventing the product from being sold in the EU
• Listing removal ordered through platforms like Amazon and Etsy
• Criminal liability for deliberate or reckless non-compliance in some jurisdictions

The most common enforcement mechanism for online sellers is through the platforms themselves: Amazon and Etsy deactivate listings and, in persistent cases, suspend accounts. This is often the first signal a seller receives that they are not compliant.

GPSR and Amazon: What Sellers Need to Know

Amazon has been the most active platform in enforcing GPSR requirements. Since December 2024, sellers have reported:

• Listings deactivated with the message "EU customers only" (meaning the listing is visible but cannot be purchased by EU customers)
• Account Health violations appearing under "Regulatory Compliance"
• Requests to submit Responsible Person information for specific ASINs
• Rejection of Responsible Person submissions from providers Amazon has flagged as invalid

Amazon requires the Responsible Person's legal name, EU postal address, and contact email to be submitted for each ASIN sold to EU customers. This information must also appear on the product labelling.

GPSR and Etsy: What Sellers Need to Know

Etsy refers to the Responsible Person as an "Economic Operator" in its seller interface. Etsy requires sellers to:

• Add their Economic Operator information at the shop level (Shop Manager → Legal and taxes)
• Add safety information to individual listings where required
• Provide documentation on request

Etsy began enforcing these requirements in early 2025 and has suspended shops that failed to comply after multiple warnings.

How to Comply with GPSR: A Practical Checklist

For most non-EU sellers, GPSR compliance involves four practical steps:

Step 1: Appoint an EU Responsible Person. Choose a qualified service provider in an EU member state. Sign a written mandate. Obtain their legal name, address, and contact email.

Step 2: Update your product labelling. Add the Responsible Person's details to your product packaging or insert. This can be done with a sticker for existing inventory.

Step 3: Submit information to platforms. Add the Responsible Person's details to Amazon Seller Central for each ASIN. Update your Etsy shop's Economic Operator information.

Step 4: Prepare technical documentation. Compile a basic technical file for each product: description, intended use, risk assessment, and any test reports you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GPSR apply to second-hand products? Yes, with some exceptions. Second-hand products sold commercially are subject to GPSR. Products sold by private individuals (not businesses) are generally exempt.

I only sell a few products to EU customers. Do I still need to comply? Yes. GPSR does not have a de minimis threshold. Even a single product sold to an EU customer triggers the obligation.

Does GPSR apply to digital products? No. GPSR applies to physical consumer products only. Software, digital downloads, and services are not covered.

My products already have CE marking. Do I still need to comply with GPSR? CE marking and GPSR are separate requirements. CE marking applies to specific product categories under specific directives (electronics, toys, machinery). GPSR applies to all consumer products. You may need both.

When did GPSR come into force? GPSR entered into full force on 13 December 2024. There is no grace period — the requirements apply to all products placed on the EU market from that date.

Summary

GPSR (EU Regulation 2023/988) is the EU's updated product safety framework, in force since December 2024. It requires every non-EU seller of physical consumer products to appoint an EU Responsible Person, update product labelling, and maintain technical documentation. Online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy actively enforce these requirements and deactivate listings that do not comply.

For non-EU sellers, the most immediate action required is appointing a qualified EU Responsible Person and submitting their details to the platforms where you sell.

Not sure whether your products comply with GPSR? Use the free GPSR compliance check at auradpp.com to assess your situation in under five minutes.