GPSR for online sellers and marketplaces: what every listing must show

What every online offer must show

Clearly and visibly, at least (Article 19):

1. the manufacturer's name, registered trade name or trade mark, and its postal and email address;
2. if the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name, postal and email address of the responsible person;
3. information to identify the product, including a picture, its type and any other product identifier;
4. any warning or safety information that goes on the product, its packaging or accompanying documents, in a language consumers in that country easily understand.

This applies to products with their own EU law (CE marking) as well.

On a marketplace

Marketplaces must design their interface so you can enter this information for each offer, and show it with the offer (Article 22(9)). In practice a marketplace will block or remove listings where it is missing. It does not check that what you enter is correct; that stays your responsibility.

Duties of online marketplaces

• register with the Safety Gate Portal and name a single point of contact for authorities, and one for consumers (Article 22(1) and (2));
• have internal processes for product safety (Article 22(3));
• act on an authority's order to remove a dangerous offer within two working days (Article 22(4));
• process notices about product safety within three working days (Article 22(8));
• take Safety Gate alerts into account in their own measures against dangerous offers (Article 22(6)).

A marketplace that also sells products itself is a distributor or manufacturer for those products, with those duties too. Check your role with the GPSR check.