Free GPSR Checker for Etsy & Handmade Sellers

If you sell candles, jewelry, woodwork or other handmade goods to buyers in the European Union, you have probably seen Etsy or another marketplace asking for “GPSR information”. GPSR is the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, and it has applied since 13 December 2024. It sets out what any business selling consumer products to people in the EU has to do, and that includes small makers based outside the EU.

This page explains the rules in plain English. The free checker below asks six short questions and gives you a personalised to-do list. It runs entirely in your browser, and none of your answers are sent anywhere.

GPSR Applicability Checker

Answer 6 quick questions to see if the EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 likely applies to your product, and get a personalised to-do list. Everything runs in your browser – nothing is sent anywhere.

1. Where is your business based?
2. Do you sell (or plan to sell) to consumers in the EU?

Includes Etsy, Amazon, eBay, your own shop that ships to the EU, markets and fairs in the EU.

3. What kind of product is it?
4. Is the item new, used or handmade?
5. Is the product for children, or could it present a particular risk?

E.g. items likely to be used by children, candles (fire), items in contact with skin or food, small parts, cords.

6. Is there an EU-based business responsible for the product?

A manufacturer or importer established in the EU, an authorised representative with a written mandate, or an EU fulfilment service provider that stores/ships your goods.

Disclaimer: This checker is for general information only and is not legal advice. It simplifies Regulation (EU) 2023/988 and may not cover your exact situation; national rules and product-specific laws also apply. Check the official sources or ask a qualified adviser. Last updated: Oct 2026.
Official sources: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (EUR-Lex) · Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 · Commission GPSR guidelines for businesses (C/2025/6233) · European Commission – GPSR

What is GPSR?

The GPSR replaced the old General Product Safety Directive. Its basic rule is simple: products sold to consumers in the EU must be safe (Article 5). On top of that it adds practical duties on traceability, labelling, online listings and handling accidents and recalls.

Some key facts:

  • It covers non-food consumer products, whether new, used, repaired or reconditioned (Article 2). Handmade items are not exempt, and there is no small-business exemption.
  • It applies to online and distance sales. An offer counts as targeting the EU if, for example, you ship to EU countries, accept EU currencies or use an EU language or domain (Article 4 and recital 21). Just having a website that people in the EU can open is not enough.
  • It excludes certain things, including medicines, food, animal feed, living plants and animals, plant protection products and antiques. Products clearly sold as needing repair or reconditioning before use are also excluded (Article 2(2)).
  • Products that have their own EU safety law (such as toys, electrical items and cosmetics) are mainly governed by that law. The GPSR covers only the aspects that law does not, for example parts of the online-sales, accident-reporting and recall rules (Article 2(1)).

Does it apply to me?

In most cases, if you are a business selling a physical consumer product to people in the EU, it does. Here are some typical situations:

  • US Etsy seller making soy candles who ships to Germany and France. GPSR applies. Because you are not based in the EU, you need an EU responsible person, and your candles need traceability details and safety warnings in the buyer’s language.
  • UK (Great Britain) jeweller selling silver earrings to Ireland and Spain. GPSR applies. Since Brexit, Great Britain is a “third country”, so the rules are the same as for the US seller. Northern Ireland is different: under the Windsor Framework, GPSR applies there as well.
  • Maker in China selling hand-carved wooden spoons and toys to EU buyers. The spoons fall under GPSR, and because they touch food, the EU food-contact material rules also apply. Wooden toys come under the Toy Safety legislation (CE marking, conformity assessment), so GPSR applies only partly. For toys, the toy rules are the bigger job.
  • EU-based woodworker in Poland. GPSR applies. You are the manufacturer and already established in the EU, so you do not need a separate responsible person, but you still need the labelling, listing and documentation.
  • Seller of PDF knitting patterns only. These are digital downloads rather than physical products, so GPSR does not normally apply.
  • Genuine antiques dealer. Antiques are excluded. Vintage or second-hand items that are not antiques are still covered.

What you need to do

1. Have an EU-based responsible person (non-EU sellers)

A product covered by GPSR can only be placed on the EU market if there is an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for it (Article 16 GPSR and Article 4 of Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020). That person can be:

  • an EU importer,
  • an authorised representative with a written mandate covering the Article 4(3) tasks, or
  • an EU fulfilment service provider that stores and ships your goods. According to the Commission’s 2025 guidelines, a fulfilment provider becomes the responsible person automatically when there is no EU manufacturer, importer or mandated representative.

The responsible person checks your documentation, works with market surveillance authorities and helps with any safety action. Many small sellers use a paid “EU responsible person” service. Before you sign up, check what the mandate covers and what it costs per product.

2. Put the right information on the product

Under Article 9 and Article 16, the product, or its packaging or an accompanying document where the product is too small, should show:

  • the manufacturer’s name, registered trade name or trademark, with a postal address and an electronic address (email or website),
  • the EU responsible person’s name, postal and electronic address (if you are outside the EU),
  • a type, batch or serial number or other identifier. For one-off handmade pieces, a simple code you can trace in your records works,
  • instructions and safety information in a language consumers in the destination country can easily understand, as that country decides.

3. Show the same information in your online listing

Under Article 19, every online offer must clearly show:

  1. the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address,
  2. if the manufacturer is outside the EU, the responsible person’s name and postal and electronic address. This is in addition to the manufacturer details, not instead of them, as the Commission has confirmed,
  3. information that identifies the product, including a picture and its type,
  4. any warnings or safety information, in the language of the country where you sell.

Marketplaces such as Etsy, Amazon and eBay must give sellers a way to provide this information (Article 22(9)). Filling in their product-safety fields is usually the simplest way to comply.

4. Do a risk assessment and keep documentation

Manufacturers must carry out an internal risk analysis and draw up technical documentation (Article 9(2)). For a small maker this can be a short document covering:

  • the product, its materials and its intended use,
  • the realistic risks (fire, sharp edges, small parts, allergens, chemicals) and who might be affected, especially children,
  • what you did to reduce those risks (design, materials, warnings, any tests or supplier certificates),
  • any European standards you followed.

Keep the documentation for 10 years (Article 9(3)) and share it with your responsible person.

5. Handle problems properly

Give consumers a way to contact you. If you learn that a product is dangerous, take corrective action, inform buyers and notify the authorities through the EU Safety Business Gateway (Articles 9 and 20). Accidents caused by a product must be reported too. Recalls have to follow Articles 36 and 37, which include offering consumers a remedy.

Label example

Here is an example label for a handmade candle sold from the US. The names and addresses are made up:

Lavender Soy Candle – Batch LS-2026-10
Made by: Oak & Ember Studio, 123 Maple St, Portland OR 97201, USA
[email protected]
EU Responsible Person: EU Rep Services GmbH,
Musterstraße 1, 10115 Berlin, Germany – [email protected]
⚠ Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep away from children,
pets and flammable materials. Burn on a heat-resistant surface.
(Warnings translated into the language of the destination country)

For candles, the European standard EN 15494 sets out recommended safety warnings and pictograms.

FAQ

Is there an exemption for small or hobby sellers?
No. The GPSR applies to anyone acting as a trader, whatever their size. Purely private, consumer-to-consumer sales are outside its scope. The Commission’s guidelines give SMEs practical help but no exemption.

Can my Etsy shop address count as the responsible person?
No. If you are based outside the EU, the responsible person must be an operator established in the EU, such as an importer, a mandated authorised representative or a fulfilment service provider.

Do I need to translate my labels into every EU language?
Safety information and instructions must be in a language that consumers in the country where the product is sold can easily understand, as that country decides. In practice, that usually means the official language or languages of each country you ship to. Names and addresses do not need translating.

What happens if I don’t comply?
Marketplaces can restrict or remove listings, and national authorities can order products off the market. Each EU country sets its own penalties (Article 44), so the amounts vary.

Do I need CE marking for my handmade jewelry or woodwork?
Usually not. CE marking applies only to products covered by specific EU laws, such as toys or electrical items. Jewelry still has chemical limits under REACH (for example on nickel, lead and cadmium).

Does this apply to used or vintage items?
Yes, if you sell them as a business. The exceptions are genuine antiques and items clearly sold as needing repair before use.

Official sources

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Last updated: October 2026.