Key takeaways
– The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Regulation (EU) 2023/988, has applied since 13 December 2024 to consumer products sold to buyers in the EU and Northern Ireland, online or offline, new or used.
– Every online listing aimed at those buyers must show the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, an EU Responsible Person if the manufacturer is outside the EU, product identification (including a picture) and any warnings or safety information.
– Amazon: submit the details in Manage Your Compliance. Amazon says listings on its UK store need no GPSR submission.
– eBay: add them under Item disclosures, one listing at a time or by bulk edit (up to five EU Responsible Persons).
– GPSR doesn’t cover sales to buyers in Great Britain, but it does cover Northern Ireland.
– Non-compliant listings can be hidden from EU and Northern Ireland buyers (eBay) or removed (Amazon).Not legal advice. This guide explains how GPSR affects marketplace listings, based on the official sources linked below. It is not legal advice. For your specific products, speak to a product-safety adviser or your Responsible Person.
To make Amazon and eBay listings GPSR-compliant, each listing sold to EU or Northern Ireland buyers must show the manufacturer’s name and contact details, an EU-based Responsible Person if the manufacturer is outside the EU, product identification with a picture, and any safety warnings. On Amazon use Manage Your Compliance; on eBay use Item disclosures.
GPSR is the EU law that decides whether your listing stays visible to buyers in Germany, France, Ireland or Northern Ireland. Since December 2024, Amazon and eBay have asked sellers for extra safety information, and listings without it can disappear from EU search.
This guide explains what GPSR requires, the difference between a manufacturer and a Responsible Person, exactly where each marketplace wants the information, and how to fix listings that have been flagged. We’ll use UK motorcycle-gear sellers as the running example, because protective clothing adds its own safety rules on top.
What is GPSR?
GPSR, the General Product Safety Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/988), is the EU law requiring consumer products to be safe and traceable. It has applied since 13 December 2024, replaced the older General Product Safety Directive, and covers products sold online and offline, whether new, used, repaired or reconditioned.
The regulation sets the baseline safety rules for consumer products that don’t have more specific EU legislation, and fills gaps where they do. The European Commission summarises its scope as including products “sold online, new, used, repaired or reconditioned” (European Commission, Access2Markets).
Two things changed for online sellers:
- Listings must carry safety and traceability information, not just the product and its packaging. This is Article 19, covered below.
- Marketplaces have their own duties. According to EU-OSHA, “Providers of online marketplaces have the obligation to register on Safety Gate and identify a single contact point” (EU-OSHA). That’s why Amazon and eBay now ask you for the data and can remove listings that lack it.
Who does GPSR apply to?
GPSR applies to anyone making consumer products available to buyers in the EU or Northern Ireland, including sellers based outside the EU. It does not apply to sales to buyers in England, Scotland or Wales. eBay says “all business sellers listing items for sale in the EU and NI” must include the information.
| You sell to… | Does GPSR apply? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland or another EU country | Yes | Via Amazon.de/.fr/.it/.es/.nl, eBay EU sites, or international shipping from a UK site |
| Buyers in Northern Ireland | Yes | Applies directly in Northern Ireland from 13 December 2024 |
| Buyers in England, Scotland or Wales | No | Great Britain has its own product safety law |
eBay states plainly: “The General Product Safety Regulation does not apply to sales to UK buyers, with the exception of Northern Ireland” (eBay UK Seller Centre). The UK government confirms that the regulation “applies directly in respect of Northern Ireland (NI) from 13 December 2024” (GOV.UK).
What about stock already on sale before December 2024? eBay notes that products first placed on the EU or Northern Ireland market before 13 December 2024, and compliant with the old directive, may not need the extra information, but says this is subject to varying interpretations. Keep records of when each product first went on sale, and if in doubt, add the information anyway.
Manufacturer vs EU Responsible Person: what’s the difference?
The manufacturer is the business that makes the product, or has it made and sells it under its own name or brand. The EU Responsible Person is an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for the product’s safety tasks there. If the manufacturer is outside the EU, you must name one.
The Commission lists who can be the responsible economic operator: an EU-based manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider (European Commission). For Northern Ireland sales, GOV.UK says the operator “must be established in the EU or NI” (GOV.UK).
| Manufacturer | EU Responsible Person | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Makes the product, or sells it under its own brand | An EU-established manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider |
| When needed | Always | When the manufacturer is not established in the EU |
| What you show | Name (or registered trade name/mark), postal and electronic address | Name, postal and electronic address |
| Motorcycle example | A UK brand making its own jackets | That brand’s appointed EU representative |
Where do you find a Responsible Person? Ask the brand or your wholesaler first: established brands that sell into the EU usually already have one. If you sell your own brand, you’ll need to appoint one. eBay lists third-party providers that offer EU Responsible Person services, including Webinterpret, Cert-Rep, Obelis and Eucerep, while noting it isn’t responsible for their work (eBay UK help).
What must a GPSR-compliant listing show?
Under Article 19 of the GPSR, an online offer must clearly show the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, the EU Responsible Person’s details if the manufacturer is outside the EU, information identifying the product including a picture and its type, and any warnings or safety information in a language buyers understand.
| Article 19 item | What it means in practice | Motorcycle jacket example |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Manufacturer | Name, registered trade name or trade mark, plus postal and electronic address | Brand name, registered address, contact email |
| (b) Responsible Person | Name, postal and electronic address of the EU-based operator (if the manufacturer is outside the EU) | The brand’s EU representative |
| (c) Product identification | A picture, the product type and any other identifier | Main image, model name, batch or EAN |
| (d) Warnings and safety information | Whatever must be on the product or come with it, in the local language | User instructions, care label, CE and protection-level information |
Source: Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 19.
For protective clothing, (d) overlaps with the PPE rules: the CE marking and the user information that must come with the garment. Our guide on how to sell motorcycle gear online covers those.
How do you add GPSR details on Amazon?
On Amazon’s EU stores, enter GPSR details in Seller Central’s Manage Your Compliance dashboard using the “Add compliance information” option. Add the manufacturer, the EU Responsible Person and safety information or images. Amazon says these appear on the product page within 24 hours of confirmation, and listings on its UK store need no GPSR submission.
Amazon’s official GPSR announcement covers the main points (Amazon Seller Forums, EU):
- “It’s mandatory to have a Responsible Person established within the EU for your non-food products.”
- Manufacturer contact details, and the importer’s where applicable, should be on the product and in the online listing.
- Each product should carry a unique identifier, plus warnings and safety information.
- “For listings on Amazon UK-based store, you don’t need to submit any information to Amazon.”
- Non-compliant listings may be removed.
On Amazon, GPSR details belong to the product, so for a parent-child variation family, make sure every child carries them, not just the parent. Software that lists on Amazon sends the same information as listing attributes, so an incomplete listing can be fixed by patching the missing attributes rather than recreating it.
Amazon listings flagged as incomplete? Stock Konnect can fix incomplete or GPSR-flagged Amazon listings by patching the missing attributes, instead of making you recreate them. Try it free for 30 days.
How do you add GPSR details on eBay?
On eBay, open the listing, go to Item disclosures, switch on Product manufacturer and add its contact details. If the manufacturer is outside the EU or Northern Ireland, add an EU Responsible Person. Use Bulk edit → Item disclosures to update many listings at once, with up to five EU Responsible Persons per listing.
eBay’s help page gives the steps (eBay UK help):
- Create a new listing or revise an existing one.
- Go to Item disclosures and switch on Product manufacturer.
- Click + Add Product manufacturer and enter the contact details.
- If the manufacturer isn’t in the EU or Northern Ireland, click + Add EU responsible person.
- For many listings, tick them in Seller Hub, choose Bulk edit → Item disclosures, then set the manufacturer and Responsible Person.
eBay also asks for product information (model, pictures, type), safety information and warnings in the local language, and CE marking where the product’s rules require it. Safety documents can be uploaded as .pdf, .jpg or .png. eBay warns that non-compliant listings “may be hidden from, or unpurchasable by” EU and Northern Ireland buyers, and visibility returns once the information is added (eBay UK Seller Centre).
If you list through software, eBay’s Trading API has a Regulatory container with fields for the manufacturer, responsible persons, product safety pictograms and statements, and documents (eBay Developers). Check your tool actually sends them.
Northern Ireland, Great Britain and UK sellers shipping to the EU
GPSR applies to sales to Northern Ireland buyers, even from a seller in Great Britain, so you need an EU- or NI-based responsible operator. Sales to buyers in Great Britain fall under UK product safety law instead. UK sellers shipping to EU buyers need an EU-based Responsible Person, because a UK address doesn’t count as EU.
| Seller | Buyer | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| UK (GB) seller | GB buyer | UK law: the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. No GPSR submission on Amazon UK |
| UK (GB) seller | Northern Ireland buyer | GPSR. Responsible operator established in the EU or NI |
| UK (GB) seller | EU buyer (Amazon.de, eBay.fr, cross-border shipping) | GPSR. Responsible Person established in the EU |
| UK brand owner selling own-brand gear into the EU | EU buyer | GPSR. The brand is a non-EU manufacturer, so it needs an EU Responsible Person |
The common trap is the eBay UK listing with international shipping switched on. eBay’s GPSR rules cover business sellers listing items for sale to EU and Northern Ireland buyers, so check whether eBay has flagged those listings before assuming GPSR doesn’t affect you.
How to fix non-compliant listings, step by step
To fix a non-compliant listing, find which listings are flagged, collect the manufacturer and Responsible Person details, add any missing safety information, then update the listings in bulk on each marketplace. Finally, re-check that the listing is visible to EU buyers.
- Find the flagged listings. On Amazon, check Manage Your Compliance and the Fix Your Products page. On eBay, check your eBay messages and Seller Hub for GPSR notices.
- Group by brand. Every product from the same brand usually shares the same manufacturer and Responsible Person, so you can fix them together.
- Collect the details. Ask each brand or wholesaler for the manufacturer’s postal and electronic address and its EU Responsible Person. Appoint your own for own-brand products.
- Gather safety information. Warnings, instructions and certificates (for protective gear, the CE declaration and user information) in each target language.
- Update the listings. Amazon: Manage Your Compliance. eBay: Bulk edit → Item disclosures.
- Add the data to your master catalogue. If you only fix it on the marketplace, the next re-list or new listing will be missing it again.
- Re-check visibility. Search for the item from an EU marketplace, or check the listing’s status, a day later.
How do multichannel tools handle GPSR?
Most multichannel tools treat GPSR as data you supply and they transmit. Linnworks maps GPSR values to Amazon attributes, StoreFeeder links Responsible People to products and uploads them to eBay, and 3Dsellers offers GPSR templates for eBay. None of them decides what your products legally need.
| Tool | What it documents for GPSR |
|---|---|
| Linnworks | Sends GPSR data to Amazon as Extended Properties mapped to attributes; says it “does not determine which specific attributes are required for your items” (Linnworks help) |
| StoreFeeder | eBay GPSR upload and download live from 13 December 2024; Amazon support described then as “coming very soon” (StoreFeeder) |
| 3Dsellers | GPSR compliance templates applied to eBay listings, single or bulk (3Dsellers) |
| eBay partners | Webinterpret, Cert-Rep, Obelis and Eucerep offer EU Responsible Person services (eBay) |
The lesson from all of them: software moves GPSR data, but you or your Responsible Person own its accuracy. Store it once, against the product, so every channel gets the same answer.
Fixing incomplete Amazon listings with Stock Konnect
Stock Konnect can fix incomplete Amazon listings, including those flagged for GPSR, by patching the missing attributes on the existing listing instead of recreating it. New Amazon listings are checked against Amazon’s product-type rules before sending, and Amazon’s errors are shown next to the field that caused them.
Here’s how Stock Konnect’s listing management helps on Amazon:
- Patch missing attributes. Fix incomplete or GPSR-flagged Amazon listings by sending only the attributes that are missing.
- Validation before sending. Each new listing is checked against Amazon’s full product-type schema; nothing is sent until it passes.
- Field-level errors. When Amazon reports a problem, you see it next to the field that caused it.
- One product record. Your product data lives in one catalogue that also feeds eBay, Shopify and WooCommerce. See how to sell on Amazon and eBay at the same time.
Creating new Amazon listings from scratch? Our guide on how to create a new Amazon listing covers the GPSR step alongside product types and images.
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Frequently asked questions
Does GPSR apply to UK sellers?
It applies to UK sellers when they sell to buyers in the EU or Northern Ireland. Sales to buyers in England, Scotland and Wales are covered by UK product safety law instead, and Amazon says its UK store needs no GPSR submission.
Do I need an EU Responsible Person if I only sell on eBay UK?
If your listings can be bought by EU or Northern Ireland buyers, for example through international shipping, and the manufacturer is outside the EU, you need to show an EU Responsible Person. Without one, eBay may hide those listings from EU and Northern Ireland buyers.
Can I be my own EU Responsible Person?
Only if your business is established in the EU, or in Northern Ireland for NI sales, and fits one of the roles: manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider. A business based only in Great Britain cannot.
Does GPSR apply to second-hand items?
Yes. The regulation covers products sold new, used, repaired or reconditioned. eBay confirms GPSR covers new and second-hand products sold by business sellers to EU and Northern Ireland buyers.
Where do I add GPSR information on Amazon?
In Seller Central’s Manage Your Compliance dashboard, using the “Add compliance information” option. Amazon says the details appear on the product page within 24 hours of confirmation.
What happens if my listings aren’t GPSR compliant?
eBay says non-compliant listings may be hidden from, or unpurchasable by, EU and Northern Ireland buyers until the information is added. Amazon warns non-compliant listings may be removed.
Is this guide legal advice?
No. It summarises official guidance from the EU, the UK government, Amazon and eBay. For decisions about your products, speak to a product-safety adviser or your Responsible Person.
Sources
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR)
- European Commission, Access2Markets: EU’s General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR): a new era of consumer protection
- EU-OSHA: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety
- GOV.UK: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety (3 December 2024)
- legislation.gov.uk: The General Product Safety Regulations 2005
- Amazon Seller Forums (EU): Important announcement: GPSR implementation
- eBay UK Seller Centre: General Product Safety Regulation
- eBay UK help: Regulatory contacts and responsible parties
- eBay Developers: RegulatoryType (Trading API)
- Linnworks: Amazon listings GPSR compliance requirements
- StoreFeeder: GPSR compliance: StoreFeeder updates and channel support (13 December 2024)
- 3Dsellers: Understanding eBay GPSR (7 November 2024)