The Responsible Person is the EU-established economic operator that Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2023/988 requires for every consumer product placed on the EU market. It can be an EU manufacturer, an EU importer, an Authorised Representative appointed by mandate, or an EU fulfilment service provider — and its name and contact details must appear on the product or packaging.

Yes. Since 13 December 2024, a product within the GPSR's scope cannot be placed on the EU market — including being offered for sale online to EU consumers — without an EU-established Responsible Person. There is no volume threshold or small-seller exemption.

Virtually all non-food consumer products: clothing, furniture, homeware, toys, jewellery, electronics, sports equipment and more — whether or not they carry a CE mark. Sector-regulated goods like cosmetics and medical devices follow their own regimes with equivalent representative requirements.

Yes — and Amazon enforces it. Platforms must verify Responsible Person details before listings go live, so selling on Amazon EU without a valid RP means suppressed or blocked listings. We provide the details in the format marketplaces ask for.

On the product itself, or on its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document — the name and contact details of the RP, alongside the manufacturer's details and a product identifier. We supply the exact wording and check your artwork.

Not exactly. The Responsible Person is the requirement; the Authorised Representative is one of the entities that can fulfil it. CE-marked products often need an AR under conformity legislation and an RP under the GPSR — one flexfrontier appointment covers both roles.

Yes. The United Kingdom is a third country for GPSR purposes, so UK brands selling to EU consumers need an EU-established RP. The GPSR also applies in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

The product is non-compliant: customs can detain it, authorities can order withdrawal, marketplaces suppress listings, and financial penalties are set by each member state. The most immediate cost for online sellers is simply losing the ability to list.

The mandate can be signed and our details issued for your labelling within 24 hours. Documentation review runs in parallel, with clear guidance on fixing any gaps we find.

In Great Britain, no — the GPSR is EU law. But it applies to any UK business selling to EU consumers, and to sales into Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. UK sellers on amazon.de, TikTok Shop EU or shipping D2C to the EU need an EU Responsible Person like any other non-EU business.

Legally the RP must be an EU-established economic operator genuinely able to perform the role — holding documentation, cooperating with authorities and coordinating recalls. A friend's address may pass a marketplace's format check, but the first authority request exposes it, and the liability lands on someone unequipped to carry it. Authorities and platforms are increasingly checking substance, not just format.

Yes — the GPSR explicitly covers used, repaired and reconditioned consumer products placed on the EU market, with narrow exceptions for antiques and goods supplied for repair before use. Resellers and refurbishers importing from outside the EU carry the same RP requirement as sellers of new goods.

For products without their own CE regime, you need technical documentation proportionate to the risk: a product description, an analysis of the safety risks and how they are addressed, and where relevant references to standards applied plus test evidence. We review it per product group during onboarding and provide a gap list — pragmatic, not gold-plated.

Not automatically. The GPSR requires an internal risk analysis and documentation demonstrating safety; formal testing is mandatory only where a specific regime (toys, electronics, PPE) requires it. That said, supplier test reports and chemical compliance evidence (e.g. REACH) are what convince an authority quickly — we advise where testing is genuinely needed and where documentation suffices.

Enforcement is national, so penalties vary by member state — ranging from listing removal and sales bans to recalls and fines that can reach percentages of turnover in some countries. In practice the first consequence is commercial: marketplaces suppress non-compliant listings immediately, which for most sellers costs more than any fine.