Guidance

EU Regulation 2023/988 on General Product Safety: factsheet

Updated 15 April 2025

Applies to Northern Ireland

From 13 December 2024, there were changes to the general product safety rules in Northern Ireland (NI). Many UK businesses that sell goods in NI were already going further than the new requirements and are therefore likely to have sufficient arrangements in place to remain compliant. Detailed guidance is available for businesses that do need to act.

This factsheet provides:

• a summary of the new general product safety rules
• a quick way to check the obligations of your business
• case studies of how businesses may need to respond

GPSR in Northern Ireland from 13 December 2024

From 13 December 2024, the EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) applies within the EU. To facilitate dual access to both the UK Internal Market and EU Single Market, Northern Ireland (NI) applies certain EU product safety regulations 바카라 사이트“ including GPSR. Certain new obligations therefore apply with respect to NI from 13 December 2024.

GPSR 바카라 사이트“ at a glance

GPSR requires that certain consumer products placed on the NI market are safe and establishes specific obligations for businesses to ensure that safety. For products regulated by GPSR to be placed on the market, there must be a 바카라 사이트˜responsible economic operator바카라 사이트™ (REO) in place to ensure compliance tasks are fulfilled. The regulations also introduce certain requirements with respect to product labelling, traceability and documentation, as well as clarifying that online marketplaces are in scope of the regulations.

What this means for businesses

There are various ways to meet the GPSR, and most UK businesses that sell goods in NI are likely to have sufficient arrangements in place as the rules in many cases formalise the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK in order to be able to sell goods into the EU.

Where changes may be required, more detailed guidance should provide clarity to businesses as to how to come into compliance.

Read the detailed guidance on the GPSR.

In line with the Regulator바카라 사이트™s Code, enforcement continues to be proportionate, risk-based and intelligence-led, with a focus on helping bring businesses into compliance where possible before considering other forms of enforcement action.

Read the Regulators바카라 사이트™ Code.

If businesses have any concerns about compliance or supplying products to NI, please contact OPSS.enquiries@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

Scope of the GPSR

GPSR applies to certain consumer products, but in practice does not introduce substantive new obligations where there is product-specific regulation already in place. It includes a series of exemptions, as detailed in the guidance (including, but not limited to, human and veterinary medicines, food and feed, and antiques).

GPSR updates the requirements on manufacturers, importers and distributors of products, and introduces new obligations on providers of online marketplaces and fulfilment service providers. Some of these are explained below, with more details on what businesses need to do provided in the guidance.

Read the detailed guidance on the GPSR.

Businesses should note that, in accordance with Article 51 of GPSR, the regulation applies only to products placed on the market from 13 December 2024. No action needs to be taken for products that have already been placed on the market in NI before 13 December 2024 and which comply with relevant pre-existing product safety legislation.

Responsible economic operators under the GPSR

For products regulated by the GPSR to be placed on the NI market, there must be a REO established in NI or the EU to ensure compliance tasks are fulfilled and to inform relevant authorities of any product safety incidents. This obligation already exists for many products, but is now being extended to consumer products captured by GPSR.

바카라 사이트˜Established바카라 사이트™ means having a presence in NI or the EU. This can be a registered office, headquarters or any permanent place of business (e.g. retail outlet, distribution centre, or other function) in that country. For an individual, this can be the place where you are resident.

The REO바카라 사이트™s contact and other details must be indicated on the product or on its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document. Accompanying documentation may include, though is not limited to, a store receipt or other despatch or shipping documentation that is provided alongside a product and does not need to be within the same packaging as the product itself as long as it accompanies the product.

Labelling and traceability

Manufacturers will need to ensure a product can be identified by consumers in an easily visible and legible way. This includes batch or serial number or any other identifying element. If the size and/or nature of the product does not allow this, the information should be provided on the packaging or in accompanying documentation (as described above).

Where a product is not compliant, an importer or distributor may bring the product into compliance, for example by adding the necessary instructions or information without returning the product to the manufacturer.

Online marketplaces

The obligations on providers of online marketplaces are set out in the business guidance and include requirements to designate contact points, to have processes in place to comply with the GPSR, and to cooperate with market surveillance authorities.

For clarity, the GPSR does not create a new obligation for online marketplaces to pre-emptively identify and remove products from their platforms which were placed on the market before 13 December 2024. Neither is the GPSR intended to amount to a general obligation on online marketplaces to monitor the information which they transmit or store, nor is it intended to require online marketplaces to actively seek facts or circumstances indicating illegal activity.

Enforcement

In line with the Regulators바카라 사이트™ Code, enforcement continues to be proportionate, risk-based and intelligence-led, minimising disruption to compliant UK businesses. Businesses are obliged to cooperate with Market Surveillance Authorities and comply with any actions taken by a Market Surveillance Authority. Authorities continue to have an initial focus on providing effective advice and support for UK businesses, helping them to understand and meet any new obligations they may have, and applying their discretion as businesses adapt.

Check your obligations

The answers to the following four questions may help determine:

• whether a product you manufacture or supply is within scope of the GPSR
• what your role is in the supply chain
• what your responsibilities are in relation to the product

This information is designed only for the supply of products into or within NI. It should not be used in relation to trade with the EU. It is also indicative, as it cannot cover specific business circumstances or products.

If you are not clear on your obligations, you should seek independent advice.

1: Where are you established as a business or sole trader?

The obligations you have may be different depending on whether you are established in GB or NI. If you only have a presence in GB or in NI (but not both, or in the EU), this is straightforward. If you have a presence across both GB and NI (or the EU), you could be considered to be established in NI (or the EU) for the GPSR. This will depend on the specifics of your situation.

For some aspects of the GPSR, where you are established changes the obligations that apply to you, or the processes you need to follow. See question 3 below.

2: Is your product in scope?

The GPSR does not apply to all goods bought and sold in NI. It applies to all consumer products, unless they are explicitly exempt or already covered by sector-specific regulations.

You will need to decide whether your product is a consumer product as only consumer products are in scope of the GPSR. A consumer is an individual person, not a business. A product is only considered a consumer product (and therefore in scope of the GPSR) if it is intended to be supplied to or likely to be used by a consumer (an individual).

For example: if you are based in NI, create products yourself (ie you are the manufacturer of a product) and buy the components or other materials from which you make your product, the products you buy are not likely to be covered by the GPSR. If you then sell the product you바카라 사이트™ve made to a consumer in the EU or NI, through a physical or online shop (or via another business such as a retailer), that product you have made is covered by the GPSR.

Antiques and artworks

The GPSR does not apply to certain products that are explicitly exempt. This includes 바카라 사이트˜antiques바카라 사이트™, such as collectors바카라 사이트™ items or works of art, which consumers cannot reasonably expect to fulfil state-of-the-art safety standards. To assess whether a product is an 바카라 사이트˜antique바카라 사이트™, the definitions contained in can be taken into account.

Works of art that are exempt include most paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures produced entirely by the artist and usually entirely by hand. They do not need to be more than 100 years old to be exempt.

Look at the detailed guidance to check whether your product is exempt.

Read the detailed guidance on the GPSR.

Second-hand products

GPSR applies to second-hand products unless they are explicitly sold as needing refurbishing before being used by a consumer.

Where a second-hand product is placed on the EU or NI market for the first time from 13 December 2024, whilst these products need to comply with the requirements of the GPSR, the extent to which they will apply will depend upon the product being sold. For example, we would not expect the manufacturer of a second-hand book to have complied with Article 9.2 of the Regulation and conducted a risk assessment prior to placing a product on the market before 13 December 2024.

Where a second-hand product was already available on the EU / NI market before 13 December 2024, it can remain on the EU / NI market with no new requirements, so long as it complied with the relevant safety legislation at the time it was first placed on the market. However, consistent with the existing approach in place across the UK, products should be compliant with the requirements in force at the time they are first placed on the market and should not be sold or re-sold second-hand unless they are safe.

3: What type of business are you?

If you have established that your product is a consumer product and within scope of the GPSR, to understand what you need to do to comply you need to know what category of 바카라 사이트˜economic operator바카라 사이트™ you fall under. This is the category into which you or your business falls for the purposes of the GPSR. You may fall into more than one category.

If you make or manufacture a consumer product, you are likely to be the manufacturer, whether you are based in GB or in NI.

If you are based in NI and import products into NI (including from GB), you are likely to be an importer.

If you are a retailer or operate an online store selling other people바카라 사이트™s products, you are likely to be a distributor (unless you are based in NI in which case you may also be an importer where you are importing products from outside NI or the EU).

If you provide fulfilment services such as warehousing, addressing and dispatching, then you are likely to be a fulfilment service provider.

Once you know which category or categories of 바카라 사이트˜economic operator바카라 사이트™ you fall into, look at the detailed guidance to check your obligations.

Read the detailed guidance on the GPSR.

4: Do the transitional arrangements apply to your product?

If you already placed your product on the market before 13 December 2024, it will be exempt from the GPSR. However, products of the same type and model, whether or not produced in a series, will be covered by the GPSR if and when they are placed on the market after 13 December 2024.

The provides some useful information, such as what constitutes placing a product on the market and making available on the market, including by distance sales and via online marketplaces.

Case studies

The following four case studies demonstrate whether and how businesses may need to come into compliance with the GPSR to place products on the NI market. They are illustrative rather than exhaustive, to assist understanding of the GPSR.

If you are not clear on your obligations, you should seek independent advice.

Case study 1: Toy manufacturer

Company profile: A medium-sized toy manufacturer based in the UK, distributing products across the UK through physical shops, including in NI:

• If the products the business manufactures fall entirely within the Toy Safety Directive and the UK바카라 사이트™s implementing regulations, namely the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and the Market Surveillance (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021, and the manufacturer is already compliant with these, then it is unlikely any further action is necessary.

This is similarly true for other areas where there is product-specific regulation already in place (such as electrical and electronic equipment, cosmetics, and machinery 바카라 사이트“ to name just a few).

Case study 2: Homeware retailer

Company profile: A business that designs, manufactures and sells exclusively its own homeware products such as decorative items, bookends, photo frames and other household accessories, both online and through a physical store across the UK, including physical stores in NI:

• The business must consider all the regulations that apply to its products as regulations other than GPSR may also apply depending on the specific products being sold.
• To comply with the GPSR, the business must ensure that its products are safe for their reasonably foreseeable use, for example that there are no dangerously sharp edges or parts of the products that might pose a choking hazard.

• Broadly, to come into compliance with the regulation the company should undertake the following steps:

  • Undertake a risk assessment and draw up the relevant technical documentation.
  • Use its physical premises in NI as the 바카라 사이트˜responsible economic operator바카라 사이트™ for its products, or appoint an authorised representative to take this role if it wishes.
  • Adhere to guidance on labelling, ensuring all items are labelled with a batch or serial number, as well as relevant information on the manufacturer or responsible economic operator. This information can be provided on or accompanying the product, which may include (but is not limited to) a receipt, despatch document or other shipping document and does not need to be within the same packaging as the product itself as long as it accompanies the product.
  • Alert the market surveillance authorities and take any necessary corrective action where a product is identified as being dangerous.

The business should also consult the detailed guidance on coming into compliance.

Read the detailed guidance on the GPSR.

Case study 3: Artistic prints

Company profile: A small business that produces and sells artistic prints online across the UK.

• Artistic prints, particularly those considered as artworks, may fall outside the scope of GPSR.
• The GPSR does not apply to 바카라 사이트˜antiques바카라 사이트™, such as collectors바카라 사이트™ items or works of art, which consumers cannot reasonably expect fulfil state-of-the-art safety standards required by the GPSR.
• To assess whether a product is an 바카라 사이트˜antique바카라 사이트™, the definitions contained in can be taken into account. Works of art that are within the definition of an 바카라 사이트˜antique바카라 사이트™ in the Regulation do not need to be over 100 years old to be covered by the exemption.
• If the business sells 바카라 사이트˜antiques바카라 사이트™ as defined in the Regulation, whilst the business should take independent advice if it is unsure of its responsibilities, it is not expected that the business will need to undertake any further activity to come into compliance.

Case study 4: Second hand goods retailer

Company profile: A small business specialising in selling second-hand goods both online and in a physical store:

• The GPSR applies to all consumer products placed on the market, whether in a physical store or online. This generally includes second-hand goods with certain specific exceptions.
• In particular, where second hand goods are classified as 바카라 사이트˜antiques바카라 사이트™ (including works of art or collectors바카라 사이트™ items), they are exempt from GPSR requirements. Similarly, second-hand goods that are explicitly sold with the understanding that they require repair or reconditioning before they can be safely used will also be exempt. This must be clearly communicated to the consumer at the point of sale.
• Therefore, for antiques and second-hand goods explicitly requiring repair or reconditioning, it is generally expected that no further compliance steps will be needed to meet GPSR requirements.
• For other second-hand goods, the retailer will likely need to meet GPSR requirements, and should assure itself accordingly. If the second-hand product has been placed on the EU or NI market before and was compliant with relevant legislation when it was first sold, the product in most cases will not need to comply with the new requirements as long as it remains safe.
• Where a product does need to comply, if consumers cannot reasonably expect the product to meet state-of-the-art safety standards, the product does not necessarily need to meet all the requirements of the new GPSR. For example, we would not expect the manufacturer of a product that is now sold as a second-hand product to have conducted a risk assessment prior to placing a product on the market before the GPSR came into force.