EU Regulation 2023/988 — the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) — became enforceable on December 13, 2024. It is not a suggestion or a best-practice framework. It is legally binding for any business selling consumer products to buyers in the European Union, regardless of where the seller is registered. This checklist covers every key requirement that ecommerce stores must meet.
1. Manufacturer and EU Responsible Person information
GPSR Article 9 is the most frequently cited provision in enforcement actions. It requires that the following information appear on every product page — or be directly and clearly accessible from it:
- Manufacturer name: The legal name of the entity that manufactured or had the product manufactured and placed it on the EU market.
- Registered address: A physical postal address, not a P.O. box. This must be a real location where the manufacturer can be contacted.
- Electronic contact: An email address or a contact form URL that reaches the manufacturer directly.
- EU Responsible Person: If the manufacturer is based outside the EU, a legal entity within the EU must be appointed as the Responsible Person. Their name, address, and contact must also appear on each product page.
A generic footer link to a "Contact us" page does not satisfy this requirement. The information must be clearly presented at product level. Many enforcement actions in Germany and France have specifically cited product pages where the manufacturer details were buried in a separate legal page rather than displayed on the product listing itself.
2. Product identifiers and traceability
Every product sold to EU consumers must carry a clearly visible product identifier. GPSR accepts any of the following as a valid identifier:
- Model number or model name
- Batch number or lot number
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
- EAN or GTIN barcode number
- Serial number (for individually serialised products)
The identifier must appear on the product page itself, not just on the physical packaging. This is because market surveillance authorities conduct digital sweeps of online listings — they inspect the product page first. If no identifier is visible, the listing is immediately flagged. The identifier must also appear on the product or its packaging so that it can be traced through the supply chain if a safety incident occurs.
3. Safety information and warnings
Products in regulated categories — including electronics, toys, cosmetics, textiles, and food contact materials — must include safety information and warnings on the product page. The requirements vary by category, but two universal rules apply:
- Language requirement: Safety warnings must be provided in the official language(s) of every EU member state where the product is sold. If you sell across the EU, this means localised warnings per market. English-only warnings are non-compliant for German, French, Spanish, and other non-English-speaking markets.
- Visibility: Warnings must be easy to find on the product page — not hidden in a PDF attachment or a collapsed accordion that most users never open.
For electronics, the minimum safety information includes operating voltage and wattage, safe operating temperature range, and any specific hazard warnings. For toys, age restrictions and choking hazard notices are mandatory.
4. Legal and compliance pages
GPSR compliance does not exist in isolation. EU ecommerce law requires several legal pages that must be clearly accessible from every page of your store, typically via footer links:
- Privacy policy: GDPR-compliant, disclosing all data processing activities, retention periods, and third-party processors.
- Terms and conditions: Covering purchase terms, delivery, liability limitations, and dispute resolution.
- Returns and withdrawal policy: EU consumers have a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal on distance purchases under the Consumer Rights Directive. This right must be clearly communicated before purchase.
- Cookie consent: A compliant cookie banner that allows granular consent before non-essential cookies are set.
- Imprint (Impressum) for Germany: If you sell to German consumers, §5 TMG requires a dedicated imprint page with full legal entity details.
5. Structured data and digital traceability
While not yet a formal GPSR requirement, schema.org Product structured data is increasingly expected as part of digital traceability. Market surveillance authorities in several member states have indicated that structured data will be factored into automated compliance sweeps. Adding the following schema fields costs nothing and future-proofs your listings:
manufacturer(matching the GPSR manufacturer disclosure)sku(matching the product identifier on the page)brandcountryOfOrigin(required for some product categories)gtin(if you have an EAN/GTIN)
Structured data also improves how your products appear in Google Shopping results, so there is a direct commercial benefit beyond compliance.
The quick way to check your store
The full GPSR checklist for a typical ecommerce store looks like this. Use it to audit your store manually, or automate the check entirely:
- ☐ Manufacturer legal name visible on all product pages
- ☐ Manufacturer registered address visible on all product pages
- ☐ Manufacturer electronic contact visible on all product pages
- ☐ EU Responsible Person appointed (if manufacturer is non-EU)
- ☐ EU Responsible Person details visible on all product pages
- ☐ Product identifier (model, batch, SKU, EAN, or GTIN) visible on all product pages
- ☐ Safety warnings present for regulated product categories
- ☐ Safety warnings available in the language(s) of destination markets
- ☐ Privacy policy linked from footer
- ☐ Terms and conditions linked from footer
- ☐ Returns and withdrawal policy linked from footer (14-day right stated)
- ☐ Cookie consent mechanism in place before non-essential cookies are set
- ☐ schema.org Product markup includes manufacturer and sku fields
- ☐ Impressum page in place if selling to Germany
EuroGPSR automates 32 of the most important GPSR and EAA compliance checks across your product pages, legal pages, and site structure. Run a free scan at EuroGPSR to get a scored report and a prioritised list of what needs fixing before market surveillance authorities find it first.