A trading name of A Star Supply · ContactA trading name of A Star Supply · ContactMakers often assume product safety rules are for factories. The General Product Safety Regulation is written around who places a product on the market, not how it is made. Here is what that means if you make and sell your own items to EU buyers.
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The regulation sets no turnover threshold. The European Commission's 2025 guidelines say the obligations of the GPSR are relevant for all sizes of business.
What brings a sale in is that it is made in the course of a commercial activity: "making available on the market" means any supply for distribution, consumption or use on the EU market in the course of a commercial activity, whether paid or free (Article 3(6)). The guidelines add that purely consumer-to-consumer transactions do not fall under the GPSR.
Article 3(18) defines a trader as anyone acting for purposes relating to their trade, business, craft or profession. Craft is in the definition.
Article 3(8) defines a manufacturer as any natural or legal person who manufactures a product or has a product designed or manufactured, and markets it under their name or trademark. A maker selling their own work under their own name or trademark fits that definition, whatever the scale.
That brings the Article 9 duties: an internal risk analysis and technical documentation before sale, a type, batch or serial number, your name and postal and electronic address on the product (or packaging or accompanying document where not possible), and instructions and safety information in the buyer's language unless the item can be used safely without them.
Recital 107 says manufacturers who are natural persons should disclose their names so consumers can identify the product for traceability purposes.
Article 16(1) says a product cannot be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it, applying Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. That operator is an EU manufacturer, an importer, an authorised representative with a written mandate from the manufacturer, or, where none of those is established in the EU, a fulfilment service provider established in the EU.
For a maker based in the UK, the US or elsewhere outside the EU, that means someone established in the EU has to hold the role, and their name and contact details go on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document (Article 16(3)).
Instilus is not a responsible person and does not provide that role.
Article 9(2) requires technical documentation containing at least a general description of the product and its essential characteristics relevant for assessing its safety. Only "where appropriate with regard to possible risks related to the product" does it also need the risk analysis and solutions adopted, test results, and any standards applied.
Recital 33 says the amount of information should be proportionate to the complexity of the product and the possible risks identified by the manufacturer. The Commission's guidelines say the documentation is prepared per product model, not per unit, but that units made with different features that may affect safety (for example a different colour or composition) are specific products needing their own documentation.
It is kept up to date and available to authorities for 10 years (Article 9(3)).
Antiques are outside the regulation (Article 2(2)(i)). Article 3(28) defines them as products, such as collectors' items or works of art, which consumers cannot reasonably expect to meet state-of-the-art safety standards. Recital 18 describes works of art as products created solely for artistic purposes, and warns that other products should not be mistakenly treated as belonging to those categories.
Used, repaired and reconditioned items are in scope (Article 2(3)), and recital 16 adds recycled products that re-enter the supply chain in the course of a commercial activity. Items to be repaired or reconditioned before use are out of scope only where they are clearly marked as such.
Want this done for you? The $24 Listing Information Pack formats your details for Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Shopify. Or use the free label generator on this site to produce the label text yourself.
Yes, where they are sold to EU consumers in the course of a commercial activity. The regulation has no handmade or small-business exemption, and the Commission says its obligations are relevant for all sizes of business.
Under Article 3(8), a person who manufactures a product and markets it under their name or trademark is the manufacturer, with the Article 9 duties.
Article 16 requires an economic operator established in the EU for each product placed on the EU market: an importer, an authorised representative with a written mandate, or, where none of those exists, an EU fulfilment service provider.
The regulation does not require them. Article 9(2) requires a general description and safety-relevant characteristics, with a risk analysis, test results and standards only where appropriate to the possible risks.
Etsy offers a shop-level opt-out for GPSR states under Shop Manager, Settings, Options. Etsy says buyers in the EEA and Northern Ireland then cannot check out, though direct links still work.
Want this done for you? The $24 Listing Information Pack formats your details for Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Shopify. Or use the free label generator on this site to produce the label text yourself.
Instilus organises the documents you already have into a GPSR evidence pack. Take the free eligibility check.
One email with the checklist, the label generator, the templates and the example pack. No account, and nothing else is sent unless you ask.