News · 2026-09-04

"GPSR and the EU responsible person: the one thing to settle before ordering"

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, (EU) 2023/988) has applied since 13 December 2024. It turns responsible-person information and traceability records into preconditions for getting listed.

What GPSR is, and when it started

The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) has applied since 13 December 2024. It requires products to carry responsible-person information and traceability records, and online marketplaces to build in corresponding compliance design: incomplete listings may not be published.

In other words, this is not a suggestion - it ties listing eligibility to a set of basic information. How well the documents are prepared directly decides whether the goods can appear on the shelf. Online marketplaces are singled out for compliance design because they are where buyers place orders, and where information is most easily missing.

The thing non-EU sellers cannot avoid

A non-EU seller must have a responsible person located in the EU. It is not optional; it is a precondition for selling: without an EU responsible person, there can be no compliant sale.

So this must be settled before placing the order, not after the goods are made and the listing is blocked. Who acts as responsible person, which written materials are needed, how long it lasts, and how the cost is calculated should all be agreed before signing; once the goods are at sea, filling this gap costs far more. A responsible person is not a form you can backfill - it is a precondition for those goods entering the EU market.

Traceability records and marketplace requirements

"Traceability records" means the set of information that lets you trace a product back to the responsible entity. Marketplaces are required to build compliance design, meaning the platform checks this information; if it is incomplete, the listing may not go up.

For a seller, this moves part of the listing risk forward into document preparation: with everything in place, the process continues; with one piece missing, the steps behind it cannot start.

Three things to settle before ordering

First, confirm who the EU responsible person is and who bears the cost. Second, assemble the responsible-person information and traceability records and add them to the delivery list. Third, write into the contract who is liable if incomplete information blocks the listing.

None of these takes long, but all three must be done before ordering, because their outcome affects whether the goods can be sold at all. To work through them in order, start with the free verification checklist; if you have questions about the contract clauses, get in touch.