EU General Product Safety Regulation 2024: New Online Marketplace Rules and What UK Sellers Must Do

What the GPSR Replaces and Why It Was Updated#

The EU General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) of 2001 was the baseline product safety requirement for consumer goods not covered by specific product legislation. It applied the "safe product" principle — goods must not present risks to consumer health and safety. The Directive was written before e-commerce became a dominant retail channel, and it lacked specific provisions for online marketplaces, digital products, and the global direct-to-consumer sales model that now characterises much of international consumer goods trade. The GPSR updates the framework for the modern market: it explicitly brings online marketplaces within scope as economic operators with specific obligations, creates a harmonised EU product safety recall portal, and strengthens traceability requirements throughout the supply chain. It applies from June 13 2024.

Online Marketplace Obligations Under the GPSR#

The GPSR imposes direct obligations on online marketplaces for the first time at EU regulation level. Online marketplaces must: implement a product safety contact point for communications with authorities; register on the Safety Gate — the EU product safety notification system; put in place internal processes for product safety compliance; remove or restrict access to dangerous product listings when notified by authorities or when they identify a safety risk; inform consumers who purchased potentially dangerous products of the risk and recall information; and store information about dangerous products notified by sellers for ten years. For UK sellers using marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, or Zalando to sell into the EU, this means the marketplace itself has compliance obligations — but seller obligations for product safety and traceability remain unchanged. Using a marketplace does not remove your product compliance burden.

Traceability Requirements for Economic Operators#

The GPSR establishes clearer traceability obligations for each actor in the supply chain. Manufacturers must ensure their products carry their name, registered trade name, postal address, and electronic address; product identification information; and a warning or safety information required by the regulation. Importers — including any business that places a product made outside the EU on the EU market — must ensure the manufacturer has complied with their obligations, and must affix their own name and contact details to the product or packaging. Distributors must verify that the manufacturer and importer have fulfilled their obligations before making a product available. For UK businesses selling directly to EU consumers or through EU distribution, the importer role typically falls on the EU entity receiving the goods — but where UK businesses sell directly (e.g. via their own e-commerce), they must consider whether an EU authorised representative is required.

Harmonised Product Recalls and the Safety Gate#

The GPSR harmonises the product recall framework across the EU. Recalls must now follow a standardised process: authorities can coordinate recalls across member states through the Safety Gate portal (previously RAPEX). The regulation specifies what a recall notice must contain and how consumers must be informed — including via email, SMS, or app notification where the consumer purchased online and the seller has their contact details. Economic operators must cooperate with recall coordination and cannot sell products that are subject to a recall in any EU member state. For UK businesses with EU market exposure, a product safety incident in one EU market can trigger coordinated recall action across all member states simultaneously, with public notification requirements. Recall procedures should be built into product launch planning, not treated as a post-incident response.

Implications for UK Businesses Selling into the EU#

The GPSR applies to products made available to consumers in the EU — regardless of where the seller is based. UK businesses selling to EU consumers through their own e-commerce, through EU distributors, or through online marketplaces with EU consumers must comply. Key practical steps: ensure products carry compliant traceability information (manufacturer details, product identification); designate an EU economic operator (importer or authorised representative) who can be contacted by EU authorities; register products that require notification on the Safety Gate; and have a documented product safety and recall procedure. For businesses already CE-marking products for specific EU product regulations (toys, electrical equipment, etc.), GPSR compliance is in addition to — not instead of — those specific regulations. AskBiz tracks GPSR guidance and member-state enforcement updates as implementation develops.

• The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Regulation (EU) 2023/988, applied from June 2024, replacing the 2001 General Product Safety Directive.
• It introduces significant new obligations for online marketplaces, harmonised product recall processes, and clearer traceability requirements for all economic operators in the supply chain — including non-EU manufacturers selling into the EU through digital channels.