As if 2024 had not already brought enough surprises to the eCommerce sector, on December 13, 2024, a new European security-related regulation comes into force that directly affects all those involved in the online sale of products.
We are talking about the new GSPR, o General Product Safety RegulationThis is a new EU regulatory framework that replaces the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD), which had been in force since 2001.
The repercussion and impact that this new protocol will have on e-commerce will be very great. The chain affects all the links in the chain, starting with manufacturing, continuing with the distribution and importation of products, and ending with the sale of products to the public either through marketplaces or online stores.
The GSPR aims to to ensure that all non-food consumer products sold in the EU are safeThe company's products, regardless of whether they have been purchased in a physical or online store, and placing special emphasis on the protection of the most vulnerable consumers, such as children or the disabled. At Geotelecom we tell you more about it.

What are the new GSPR regulations?
This new text introduces stricter requirements for product traceability, so that in the event of an incident and the need to withdraw a specific product from the market, this can be done quickly and efficiently. To this end, a rapid alert system (Safety Gate) which consists of a portal accessible to everyone where all products that may be unsuitable for marketing and use can be consulted and where companies must also register the relevant alerts.
When does the GSPR come into force?
The GPSR regulation was approved by the European Parliament in March 2023 and came into force on June 12, 2023. However, full implementation is scheduled for exactly 18 months later, i.e. December 13, 2024.
Who is affected by the entry into force of the new GSPR regulations?
Although it is not a regulation specifically designed for online sales, the text makes specific reference to this type of commerce, which has been booming in the last decade. But let's take it one step at a time, since, as we have mentioned, the new regulation affects the entire chain of production, distribution and sale of a product:
Manufacturers
According to the new standard, manufacturers must ensure that their products have been designed and manufactured in accordance with the general safety requirement. In addition, they are obliged to carry out an internal risk analysis and to prepare technical documentation that should always be kept up to date and will contain at least:
- A general description of the product and the essential characteristics of the product that are relevant to assessing its safety.
- Serial, lot or model number
- Name of the company, its registered trade name or trademark, its mailing and e-mail addresses
- Instructions for use and safety information
- List of ingredients if applicable.
When the manufacturer has suspicions that there may be a safety problem in one of its products, it must immediately issue an alert according to the procedure established by law.
Importers
Importers must ensure that the product meets the general safety requirement before placing a product on the market.
In addition, they must ensure that the product is accompanied by clear and easily understandable instructions for use and safety information, and while the product is in their custody, they must ensure that storage and transport conditions do not compromise its safety.
In the same way that manufacturers are required to do, when the importer suspects that there may be a safety problem with a product, he must immediately issue an alert according to the procedure established by law.
Distributors
If I am a distributor or market my product directly to the public:
- If I sell my product through a marketplaceIn a non-direct but quite obvious way, the regulation is aimed especially at large companies such as Amazon or Miravia with the objective of reinforcing control and vigilance over the products sold on their platforms.
Should they fail to comply with the new guideline, the onus will fall on them and they are expected to be the first to incur significant sanctions from the EU.
In order to comply with the legislation, the marketplaces have started to request for each product sold on their platforms documents, photos and other information related to the safety and traceability of the product.
Once the deadline for the entry into force of the law has arrived, the marketplaces They threaten (it remains to be seen whether they will follow through) to cancel product cards that have not been filled out correctly. - If I sell my product through my online storeIn these cases, it is in our product data sheets where it will be necessary to include all the safety and traceability information of the product, exactly as it is the case for marketplaces.
How to comply with the new GSPR regulations?
There is no single answer to this question as it depends on several factors, including your vertical. The requirements of the GSPR are different depending on whether you sell children's products (toys and childcare products), cosmetic products, or other things.
In general, the work will be very tedious because, unless we are the manufacturer ourselves, the requested information is not provided by default in the catalogs or product data feeds and we will need to collect, prepare and upload it to the platforms. for each of the products in our catalog (imagine catalogs with thousands of products...).
In common for all verticals, it will be necessary to present the following information for each product:
- Manufacturer's information: name, country, address, email, phone number. Some platforms allow this information to be uploaded at the brand level, so that the process is more automatic and less costly for sellers.
- Information from the representative in the EU: In case the product is manufactured outside the European Union, in addition to the manufacturer's information, the contact details of the person responsible for the product within the EU must be provided. This person can be, for example, the importer, the European subsidiary of the brand/company in question, a distributor or the trader himself. In case the product IS manufactured within the EU this information can be omitted.
- Photograph of product labeling: A photograph of the product labeling must be taken, showing clearly and legibly all the product information: manufacturer's contact details, logos and markings, safety warnings, etc. This photograph must be a real image of the product, i.e. it cannot have been digitally manipulated or be a label designed expressly to comply with the regulations.
If the product in question has the CE marking (the European one, not to be confused with the Chinese CE), this would be sufficient.

If we do not have the CE certificate, in addition to all the above information and depending on your vertical, you must provide other documents such as:
- Declaration of conformity: This is a document that certifies that a product has been evaluated and complies with the essential safety, health and environmental protection requirements established by European legislation. This document is, for example, one of the essential requirements for obtaining the CE marking. This document is issued by the manufacturer of the product and must be supplied by him.
- The PIF or Product Information File: This document is required when selling cosmetic products and must also be issued by the manufacturer. It must contain, at least: description, safety assessment, manufacturing method, studies and experiments carried out with the product...
These are two examples of extra documentation required by the platforms, but there may be more. What is known for sure is that for more sensitive categories such as toys, childcare, child restraint systems, or beauty and cosmetics, the large online sales platforms are going to be much more demanding when requesting information from sellers.
On the other hand, it is possible, and this is also expressed in the law, that there may be products that are exempt from complying with the regulations for the simple reason that they do NOT have any type of safety warning associated with them. The marketplaces and Amazon contemplate this possibility and have enabled a button to request it. However, these products will be reviewed by the platform and the exemption request will be accepted or rejected according to their criteria.


How is the entry into force of the GSPR regulation affecting the main marketplaces?
Although the law came into force in June 2023, it was not until a couple of months ago that alarm bells started ringing on the various platforms.
- Miravia, for example, is very active and involved in compliance and looks set to meet the deadlines strictly: it is organizing webinars, assigning accounts to vendors to help them complete the process, sending daily emails... As of today it is no longer possible to upload new products to the platform that do not have the security information implemented.

As far as Amazon In the past, until very recently, they had not been quite evident, but such notices are now beginning to reach the accounts:

What happens if I am not GSPR compliant?
In case of sale through a marketplacethreaten to delete the product sheets/listings that have not duly completed the required information as of December 13, 2024, so that our products can no longer be marketed on the platforms.
In the event that our sales come from our own online store, we expose ourselves to fines and sanctions by individuals, organizations, associations and other types of entities.
As you can see, it is a serious business and there is no quick or automatic way to complete the whole process. Our recommendation is that you start working as soon as possible to gather all the necessary information and prepare it to upload it both to your online store and to your intermediary sales platforms.
If your catalog is large you should start with those products that are most important to you and work your way up gradually as you are able. If you have any doubts about how the law affects your vertical, seek specialized legal advice and if you need some assistance, a good feed manager like Lighthousefeed can help you to automate certain parts of the process, especially with the marketplaces.