Since last December, the new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) has come into effect, the EU regulation that replaced the General Product Safety Directive and the more specific one concerning hazardous products resembling food.
The objective is, in summary, to reduce the risks associated with the use of consumer goods and promote high safety standards throughout the European Union.
Applicable across the entire territory of the European Union, the regulation applies to non-food consumer products sold within the community and aims to change many of the habits of Amazon sellers.
But what has actually changed for sellers? And how can they adapt to the new rules?
What is the GPSR
As we have partially mentioned, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is a tool by which the European Union aims to improve the safety level of products sold, online and offline.
The final text of the measure was passed three years ago, updating the previous European regulation from 2001, which was evidently no longer coherent in light of the many changes that have occurred in the market.
In particular, the GPSR mainly focuses on the safety of products purchased online by European customers. For this reason, commerce sites such as Amazon (but in general, all online sales sites) must collaborate with market surveillance authorities if they discover that any product sold on their platforms is dangerous, establishing a unique point of contact responsible for product safety.
Evidently, such an action scope makes the GPSR quite important for e-commerce, where the variety of products offered is wide, and unfortunately, not all items are subject to appropriate regulations.
Additionally, we highlight that the provision is also characterized by a proactive approach to safety: it requires sellers to act not only when they realize their products are dangerous but also preventively, taking measures to contain potential risks before they manifest.
Which products does the GPSR regulation apply to?
The scope of the GPSR regulation is quite broad. It guarantees that all products intended for consumption are safe, with general application.
The regulation applies to all products, unless specific categories are regulated by particular regulations. In other words, if no specific exceptions exist, every product is affected by the GPSR.
As for the exceptions, these are products already regulated by more specific regulations, such as:
- Medicines
- Food and beverages
- Animal feed
- Plants and animals
- Plant protection products
- Antiques
A new transparency scenario
In this scenario, the knowledge of sellers operating on sales platforms and the products they offer is crucial. This makes the job of market surveillance authorities easier, enabling them to issue orders to marketplaces to remove dangerous products from platforms or temporarily disable access to these offers.
Among the most important novelties of this regulation is the obligation to appoint a legal representative in Europe. Although this seems like a predictable provision, it hasn’t been so until now. As a result, sellers from non-European countries (from China, but not only) have proliferated on Amazon, using the marketplace as a preferential channel to sell their products without having legal representation in European countries.
With the new regulation coming into effect, these sellers are required to adapt to the updated framework by appointing a legal representative in Europe or choosing to stop selling on the platform. However, it is also likely that a third way could be reached. That is, an agreement with Amazon where the products listed on the marketplace are:
Sold and shipped by Amazon
and no longer
Sold by (foreign company) and shipped by (Amazon/foreign company).
What changes with the GPSR for European sellers
So far, some general impacts of the new regulation. To understand how the GPSR will impact sellers’ sales, it is important to remember that the new regulation will introduce the obligation to provide and clearly display safety information for most non-food consumer products sold within the European Union. Therefore, this also includes sales made via marketplaces like Amazon.
For this reason, to prepare sellers for the changes in force, Amazon has long started contacting sellers to remind them to provide the new mandatory information.
Requirements to meet with the GPSR
Although the regulation is more organized and structured than summarized here, we can certainly simplify that the main requirements to meet are related to identifying and sharing:
- Responsible Person: Non-food products must be labeled with the contact of the responsible person. The contact must include the postal address and email address, in one of the EU’s official languages. The label can be applied directly to the product, its packaging, or on the packaging or accompanying documents;
- Manufacturer Information: Non-food products must also have a second label. This label must include all the contact information for the manufacturer and the importer. Again, the label can be applied to the product, packaging, or documents accompanying the goods;
- Labeling and Traceability: Finally, it is required that products are labeled with identifying elements. For example, data such as type or serial number is required to ensure easy identification. Online listings must include the product image and all necessary information.
What happens on Amazon with the GPSR?
As mentioned earlier, Amazon has been contacting its sellers for a while, asking them to comply with the regulation in a timely manner.
In particular, the marketplace had hinted since mid-last year that starting December 13, 2024, it would remove all non-compliant listings. Therefore, by the aforementioned deadline, sellers should have provided Amazon with:
- Name and contact details of responsible persons and manufacturers,
- Warning and safety information applicable to product detail pages in the languages of the country of sale.
The information can be provided through images, manuals, or other documents, as long as they contain the necessary details.
Finally, the seller is also required to enter the contact information of the responsible person or manufacturer on Amazon. To this end, a special section has been added within Seller Central (Manage Your Compliance). Here, sellers can input the contact details for the manufacturer and the responsible person.
And for those who want more information? Remember that Amazon has activated several sharing sources that allow sellers to prepare for the ongoing changes. You can consult the discussion forums available on the marketplace. The full text of the GPSR is also available on the European Commission’s website.
What should sellers do on Amazon? Summary Table
| Requirement | Detail |
| Certifications | Provide technical certifications, test reports, and conformity declarations for all products (except Amazon Handmade, food, and medicines). |
| Responsible Person | Appoint a Responsible Person located in the EU and provide their details to Amazon. |
| Labeling | Verify the presence of identifiers (type, batch, serial number). Include contact information for the manufacturer, responsible person, and importer. |
| Product Information | Display images, descriptions, and safety information on product pages. Provide clear and complete information about potential risks. |
| Traceability | Keep records of suppliers to trace the entire supply chain. |
| Risk Assessment | Conduct a preventive risk assessment, considering both intended and improper use. |
| Monitoring | Continuously analyze customer feedback and complaints to identify safety issues. |
Amazon’s broader commitment
On the occasion of the first comments on the GPSR, Amazon has recently intervened to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring that the products available for sale in its store are fully safe.
In its statements, Amazon reminded that it implements automated verification systems to identify and remove non-compliant products during listing. It also specified that during 2023, billions of changes to product pages were analyzed. When necessary, a team of experts conducts deeper and more specific checks.
The release also shares how the checks prevent the inclusion of non-compliant products and generate reports to investigators for potential blocking or requests for additional information. The monitoring includes the analysis of approximately 70 million customer feedbacks weekly at a global level.
For European stores, sellers must provide product pages with information on:
- Safety
- Compliance
- Warnings
- Markings
- Product and packaging images
Amazon facilitates compliance through APIs and public resources, such as the energy labeling system through the European Registry.
Moreover, the company uses innovative technologies in its shipping centers. It combines advanced imaging and AI to:
- Analyze product information
- Verify language correctness
- Observe the “readability” of images
- Identify safety warnings
Finally, Amazon has stated that it collaborates with global governments to improve product safety. As a signatory of the EU Product Safety Pledge since 2018, it renewed its commitment in 2023 with the Product Safety Pledge+. This strengthens cooperation with authorities for consumer protection.
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