What does GPSR require from online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay?
The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) requires online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, acting as “providers of online marketplaces,” to make it easier to identify unsafe or illegal product offers and to respond quickly to orders from authorities. In practice, this means clear contact points, cooperation with market surveillance authorities, fast takedown and recall support, and systems that collect and display the required product and economic operator information on listings.
What does the GPSR require online marketplaces to do for product safety?
The GPSR requires online marketplaces to implement product safety controls that support rapid communication, enforcement, and the removal of unsafe offers. Marketplaces must provide a single contact point for authorities and a contact point for consumers, cooperate with market surveillance authorities, and act on orders and notices within set deadlines. They also need internal processes to detect, identify, and address illegal or unsafe product content.
Key marketplace duties under the GPSR commonly include:
- Single contact points for authorities and for consumers, enabling direct electronic communication.
- Registration and cooperation through EU tools such as the Safety Gate Portal, and the use of Safety Gate information to help identify dangerous products.
- Processing authority orders to remove or disable access to offers without undue delay, and informing the authority of the actions taken.
- Processing notices about product safety concerns from third parties (including consumers) within the required timeframe.
- Recall support, including notifying affected consumers who purchased through the marketplace interface and publishing recall information when applicable.
What information must be shown on listings under the GPSR (and who is responsible for it)?
Listings offered to EU consumers must show traceability and safety information so buyers and authorities can identify the product and the responsible economic operator. Typically, the online offer should display the manufacturer’s identification and contact details, product identification, and applicable warnings. Where the manufacturer is outside the EU and a Responsible Person is required, the Responsible Person’s EU contact details must also be shown.
The information commonly expected on the online offer includes:
- Manufacturer: name, trade name or trademark, and postal and electronic contact address.
- EU Responsible Person (when required): name and postal and electronic address.
- Product identification: product image, type/model, and other identifiers used to trace the item.
- Warnings and safety information: relevant warnings and instructions in the language(s) required for the target EU market.
| Actor | Main GPSR-related role for listings |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ensures the product is safe, prepares safety documentation, and provides correct identification, contact, and warning information. |
| Importer (EU-based) | Places third-country products on the EU market and must ensure that required information and cooperation duties are met. |
| Distributor | Makes products available on the market and must act with due care, including not supplying products they know are unsafe. |
| Online marketplace provider | Displays required offer information where applicable, runs notice-and-action processes, and executes authority orders and recall communications. |
Separate from listing content, physical labeling still matters. Marketplaces often check that the manufacturer and Responsible Person details shown online match what appears on the product, packaging, or accompanying documentation.
How do Amazon and eBay enforce GPSR compliance for sellers?
Amazon and eBay typically enforce GPSR requirements through listing controls and documentation requests designed to prevent non-compliant offers from going live or remaining live. While each platform’s workflow differs, enforcement usually includes collecting Responsible Person details (when required), checking listing fields for mandatory information, and pausing or blocking offers when required information or evidence is missing.
Common enforcement actions include:
- Requesting EU Responsible Person details for non-EU manufacturers and requiring those details to match labels and listing data.
- Requiring product safety and traceability documentation (for example, label photos, warnings, instructions, and supporting technical documents relevant to the product).
- Blocking, suppressing, or pausing listings until required information is provided or corrected.
- Responding to market surveillance authority requests, including removing or disabling access to offers when ordered.
- Supporting recalls and safety notices, including notifying affected consumers when purchases were made through the platform interface.
For sellers, the practical takeaway is consistency: product identifiers, manufacturer details, and Responsible Person details should align across the listing, the product label, and the supporting documentation set you keep ready for platform review.
How does EARP help with GPSR compliance for online marketplace sellers?
[COMPANY] supports non-EU sellers that need an EU-based economic operator to meet GPSR market-access expectations for online marketplace sales and to align with the Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (MSR) requirements for having the right operator in the EU supply chain.
- Acting as your EU Responsible Person (economic operator role) where required for your product and supply chain setup.
- Reviewing key product safety documentation for presence and completeness, and storing technical documentation so it can be made available to authorities upon request.
- Providing listing-ready Responsible Person details and guidance to keep marketplace fields aligned with labels and documents.
- Serving as a liaison with national market surveillance authorities, including MSR Article 4 communications to the manufacturer when risks are identified.
See our services and contact us to confirm what your listings need for GPSR compliance before a marketplace blocks or pauses your EU offers.
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