EU General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR)

On the 13th December 2024 the EU brought into effect new product safety regulations that apply to all makers, manufacturers, importers and businesses shipping all kinds of products to the EU.

As a sole trader based in the UK these regulations will effect my business practices, here’s how:

Under these new rules, businesses who ship products to the EU must comply with stricter safety regulations. In general these regulations are a good thing and will ensure that items sold to the EU are better regulated.

The BIG BUT is that the cost of implementing the necessary regulations are unattainable to most small creative businesses including myself.

One of the more costly aspects of the regulations is that businesses selling to the EU must appoint a representative within the EU to be responsible for the compliance of safety standards and provide a point of contact with authorities if safety issues arise.

Our costs are already squeezed to compete with bigger brands and any extra financial burdens could make producing products untenable.

Businesses who don’t comply could face penalties.

In light of this, I’ve made the decision to cease shipping to the EU and Northern Ireland for the foreseeable future. It makes sense to me at the moment because the amount of sales I receive from EU countries is minimal. However, it does mean I cannot grow into that market until I find a manageable solution. I will continue to look for a way to resolve this issue but for now I will no longer ship to any of the countries listed in bold below.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Plus, due to the UK’s Brexit deal these regulations also apply to Northern Ireland.

I am saddened to do this and I am very sorry for any frustration and inconvenience this causes.