In short: From 13 December 2024, Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) requires every consumer product sold online to have an economic operator established in the Union, and the listing to show the manufacturer, the product identification and the safety warnings in a language consumers can understand.
Until 2024, a product's safety information lived mainly on the label. The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988) has brought the same information into the online offer. It applies from 13 December 2024 and replaced the 2001 directive.
This is a practical guide, not legal advice. For your own case, check the text of the regulation or consult a professional.
Which products it covers
Consumer products made available on the EU market, new or used. Repaired or reconditioned products count too. Medicines, food, feed, live plants and animals and a few other cases listed in Article 2 are excluded. Where a product is already covered by specific EU rules (toys, household appliances, cosmetics), the GPSR applies only to the aspects those rules don't cover.
Who's who in the supply chain
- Manufacturer: designs and makes the product, or has it made under its own name or trademark.
- Importer: brings into the Union a product made outside the Union.
- Distributor: resells the product without modifying it. An online shop that sells other brands' products is almost always a distributor.
- Economic operator established in the Union: a product cannot be placed on the market unless there is one carrying out the tasks the law requires. It can be the manufacturer itself, an importer or an authorised representative.
- Marketplaces: online platforms have obligations of their own towards the sellers they host.
What the online offer must show
Article 19 lists at least four pieces of information, to be shown ‘in a clear and visible manner’ next to the product:
- The manufacturer: name, registered trade name or trademark, with postal and electronic address.
- The person responsible in the Union, with name and postal and electronic address, if the manufacturer is not established in the Union.
- The product identification: a picture, the type and any other useful identifier such as the model, batch or serial number.
- Warnings and safety information required for the product, in a language consumers can easily understand. For Italy, that means Italian.
What the product itself must carry
The product, its packaging or an accompanying document must show a type, batch or serial number that allows it to be identified, together with the manufacturer's name and address. It also needs instructions and safety information in a language the consumer can understand, unless the product can be used safely without them (Article 9). Importers add their own details (Article 11).
What resellers must do
Before making a product available, the distributor checks that the manufacturer and importer have met their obligations on identification, contact details and instructions. If it has reason to believe the product does not comply, it does not make it available until it has been brought into conformity. If it finds that the product is dangerous, it informs the manufacturer or importer immediately and makes sure corrective measures are taken (Article 12).
Complaints and accidents
The manufacturer must give consumers a channel for reporting problems (an email address or a page on its website) and keep a register of complaints. It must also notify serious accidents to the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway (Articles 9 and 20). Resellers must inform the manufacturer of any accidents they become aware of.
What it means for your online shop
- A dedicated field on the product page (a metafield on Shopify, a custom field on WooCommerce) for the manufacturer, address and contact details.
- A second field for the person responsible in the Union, filled in when needed.
- A field for warnings and instructions. These can also be a downloadable document in Italian.
- The model or batch number visible near the product name.
- A contact address for reports that can be reached from the site.
It pays to ask suppliers for the data with a single form rather than chasing them product by product. For a large catalogue, the data can be imported in bulk from a file.
A quick catalogue check
- Pick ten products at random from different suppliers.
- For each one, find the manufacturer's name and address and the person responsible in the Union.
- Check that the safety warnings are in Italian.
- Check that the identifier is visible on the product page.
- List the suppliers who have not replied and decide whether to keep selling those products.
Further reading: e-commerce and websites · integrations and syncing · mandatory information for an online shop
Frequently asked questions
Does the GPSR also apply to shops reselling other brands' products?
Yes. Before selling, distributors must check that the manufacturer and importer have put their details on the product and provided safety instructions in the consumers' language. If they have reason to believe the product does not comply, they must not make it available (Article 12).
Does the regulation also apply to second-hand products?
Yes. It applies to new, used, repaired or reconditioned products made available on the market. Products that need repairing or reconditioning before use are excluded if they are clearly marked as such. Antiques are excluded too (Article 2).
Which products are excluded from the GPSR?
Medicines, food, feed, live plants and animals, animal by-products, plant protection products and certain transport equipment (Article 2(2)). Where specific EU rules exist for a product, the GPSR applies only to the aspects those rules don't cover.
What if the manufacturer is based outside the European Union?
A product can be placed on the market only if there is an economic operator established in the Union carrying out the tasks set by the regulation. That operator's name and contact details must appear on the product, its packaging or an accompanying document and, in online offers, next to the product (Articles 16 and 19).
Where does the information go on the website?
In the product offer, clearly and visibly: the manufacturer with postal and electronic address, the person responsible in the Union when the manufacturer is outside the EU, a picture and identifier of the product, and the warnings and safety information (Article 19).