If you sell consumer products to customers in the EU, a product page needs to do more than show a price, photos, and delivery options. Under the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), an online offer must display specific product identification, business contact, and safety information. Missing details can create compliance problems even when the product itself is safe.
The good news is that you can tackle most listing updates with a structured product-data audit. Here is what your online store needs to show, where to put it, and how to handle the details that commonly cause confusion.
What are the EU GPSR product listing requirements?
Article 19 of the GPSR sets out information that an online or other distance-sales offer must clearly and visibly indicate when the offer is targeted at consumers in the EU. In practical terms, check each relevant product listing for four categories of information:
- Manufacturer details: The manufacturer’s name, registered trade name, or registered trademark, plus its postal and electronic address.
- EU responsible person details, where required: If the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and postal and electronic address of the responsible person established in the EU.
- Product identification: Information that lets a customer identify the product, including a picture, its type, and any other product identifier.
- Warnings and safety information: Any warnings or safety information that must accompany the product under the GPSR or other applicable EU rules, in a language consumers can easily understand as determined by the relevant EU country.
These are listing requirements, not a substitute for the rules governing the physical product, its packaging, or accompanying documents. You may need to address all three.
Does the GPSR apply to your online store?
The GPSR has applied since 13 December 2024. It covers consumer products sold in the EU, including many products sold through ecommerce stores and marketplaces. It also applies to certain products that are not intended for consumers but are reasonably likely to be used by them.
A store does not have to be based in the EU for these rules to matter. If you target consumers in an EU member state with a relevant product offer, the distance-sales requirements can apply. Selling through your own website rather than a marketplace does not remove the obligation.
There are important scope limits. Some categories, such as medicinal products and food, are excluded from the GPSR. Products covered by sector-specific EU safety legislation may still be subject to relevant GPSR provisions where those rules do not address the same risks or matters. If you sell regulated categories such as toys or electrical products, check the applicable product-specific rules alongside the GPSR rather than treating it as your only compliance checklist.
Products first placed on the EU market before 13 December 2024 may be subject to transitional provisions if they complied with the previous rules. Do not assume that an older SKU—or a listing created before that date—is automatically exempt. Check the product’s circumstances and the rules that apply to it.
What information should appear on a product page?
Identify the manufacturer accurately
The manufacturer is not necessarily the supplier named on your invoice. It may be the business that makes the product or has it made and markets it under its own name or trademark. If you sell private-label goods, your business may be the manufacturer for regulatory purposes even if a factory produces them for you.
Display the manufacturer’s required name and contact details on the product offer. The electronic address should be a genuine electronic contact point, such as an email address or another appropriate electronic means—not merely a postal address repeated in a different field.
Add the EU responsible person when the manufacturer is outside the EU
For products within the relevant rules, a manufacturer outside the EU requires an EU-established responsible economic operator. Depending on the supply arrangement, that may be an EU manufacturer, importer, authorised representative, or, in certain circumstances, a fulfilment service provider. Its details are additional to the manufacturer details on the online offer; they do not replace them.
Do not label a warehouse, customer-service contractor, or marketplace as the responsible person simply because it has an EU address. Confirm who actually holds that role for the product and obtain the correct postal and electronic contact details.
Make the product easy to identify
Use a product image that matches the item being sold, a clear product type, and the relevant identifier. Depending on the product, that might be a model number, batch reference, or another distinguishing identifier. Your internal SKU can help manage the listing, but check that the published information lets the product offered be identified accurately.
Pay particular attention to variants. A single parent listing for several models may be confusing if the models have different identifiers, responsible persons, or safety warnings. Make sure the information shown to the customer corresponds to the variant they select.
Show applicable warnings and safety information
Where warnings or safety information must accompany the product, include them clearly in the online offer. For example, a product with an age restriction or an important use limitation should not depend on the customer opening the parcel to discover that information.
Review language requirements for each EU country you target. A warning that is accurate in English may not be sufficient for every market. Avoid automatically translating safety text without checking that the meaning remains precise and that it meets applicable requirements.
Where should you place GPSR information in your store?
The regulation requires the information to be clear and visible in the offer. For an ecommerce store, the safest practical approach is to put it on the product detail page, close to the description or specifications, with a clearly labelled safety section where needed.
For example, a product page could use concise labels such as “Manufacturer,” “EU responsible person,” “Product identifier,” and “Safety information.” Keep the text readable on mobile devices. Do not bury essential details in a general terms page, an unrelated policy document, or an image that customers cannot easily read.
If you also sell through marketplaces or social commerce channels, review each channel’s product-data fields and the customer-facing listing. Entering information in a seller dashboard is not the same as confirming that shoppers can see it in the offer.
A practical workflow for updating your product catalogue
- List the products you offer to EU consumers. Group them by brand, manufacturer, category, and supplier. Flag private-label products and products made outside the EU.
- Confirm each business role. Determine who is the manufacturer and, where required, who is the EU responsible person. Ask suppliers for missing details rather than guessing.
- Collect product-level data. Gather accurate images, product types, identifiers, and applicable warnings. Check whether different variants need different information.
- Review destination-country language needs. Identify where you sell and prepare required safety information for those markets.
- Update your store and sales channels. Add the information to product pages and relevant marketplace offers. Check the live customer view on desktop and mobile.
- Build an update process. Make the required fields part of your new-product checklist, and review listings when a supplier, responsible person, product design, or warning changes.
A spreadsheet can be enough for a small catalogue. For a larger one, keep these details in your product information system or ecommerce platform so you can identify missing fields before a product goes live. Whichever method you use, assign someone to verify the information against supplier and product documentation.
Common GPSR listing mistakes to avoid
- Showing only your store’s contact details. Seller information does not automatically satisfy the requirement to identify the manufacturer and, where applicable, the EU responsible person.
- Adding an EU address without confirming the role. The responsible person must be the correct economic operator for that product.
- Using one safety statement for every variant. Different sizes, models, or intended users can require different warnings or identifiers.
- Relying on packaging alone. Information supplied with the physical product does not, by itself, make it visible in an online offer.
- Treating a compliant listing as proof of a compliant product. Product safety duties can also involve documentation, traceability, labelling, and action if a product presents a risk.
If you are unsure whether a warning is legally required or which business qualifies as the responsible person, get category-specific advice before publishing an assumption as fact.
Make compliance part of your listing process
EU GPSR product listing requirements are easiest to manage when safety data is collected before you write the sales copy. Confirm the manufacturer and responsible person, match identifiers and warnings to each product or variant, and then check what customers can actually see in every channel where you sell.
Start with your highest-volume EU listings or the products with the most complex safety information. An audit of even a small batch will reveal whether your current product-page template has the fields you need—and give you a repeatable process for the rest of your catalogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do GPSR listing rules apply if my business is outside the EU?
They can. If your online offer is targeted at consumers in an EU member state and the product is within scope, being established elsewhere does not remove the relevant distance-sales requirements.
Is the EU responsible person the same as the manufacturer?
Not always. If the manufacturer is established outside the EU, the offer must also identify the applicable EU-established responsible person. Confirm the operator’s legal role for each product rather than assuming it is your importer, warehouse, or marketplace.
Can I put GPSR information in a PDF linked from the product page?
Article 19 requires the specified information to be clearly and visibly indicated in the online offer. Putting it directly on the customer-facing product page is a more dependable approach than relying solely on a separate PDF.
Do I need to translate product warnings for every EU country?
Warnings and safety information required to accompany the product must be presented in a language that consumers can easily understand, as determined by the member state concerned. Check the requirements for the countries you target; do not assume one language covers every market.