GPSR sweep 2026: what marketplace listings still get wrong

What the 2026 GPSR sweep checked and found

The sweep looked at whether online marketplaces and the offers on them meet the information requirements of the GPSR, including whether a product names a Responsible Person in the EU and gives its contact details. National authorities screened the listings between May and July 2026; the Commission published the results on 7 September 2026, and they feed into the discussions of International Product Safety Week.

The picture is clear. The platforms have largely done their part: registration and contact points are almost complete. The gap is in the offers, and most of the information that was missing has to come from the seller and the manufacturer, not from the platform.

The four items every online offer must show

Article 19 GPSR (opens in a new tab) applies to every economic operator that sells online or through other distance sales. The offer must show clearly and visibly at least:

1. 1.Manufacturer: name, registered trade name or registered trade mark, plus the postal and electronic address at which the manufacturer can be contacted.
2. 2.Responsible Person: where the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name, postal and electronic address of the Responsible Person within the meaning of Article 16(1) GPSR or Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020.
3. 3.Product identification: a picture of the product, its type and any other product identifier.
4. 4.Warnings and safety information that must be on the product, its packaging or an accompanying document, in a language consumers can easily understand, as determined by the member state where the product is sold.

Marketplaces are obliged to make this possible. Article 22(9) GPSR requires them to design their interface so that traders can enter this information for each product and consumers can see it on the listing. Under Article 22(10) they must also let traders provide a self-certification that they only offer products that comply with the GPSR. The platform provides the fields; filling them in correctly is the seller's job.

What happens to incomplete listings

Market surveillance authorities can order a marketplace to remove an offer of a dangerous product, disable access to it or display a warning. The marketplace must act within two working days of receiving the order (Article 22(4) GPSR) and can be required to remove identical offers as well (Article 22(5)). Traders who frequently offer non-compliant products must be suspended for a reasonable period after a prior warning (Article 22(11)).

Fines are set by each member state, not by the GPSR itself (Article 44). Germany, for example, punishes a missing item under Article 19, or missing Responsible Person details under Article 16(3), with a fine of up to €10,000 (§ 28(2) no. 25 and 26, § 28(3) Product Safety Act, ProdSG).

More fundamental than the fine: under Article 16(1) GPSR, a consumer product may not be placed on the EU market at all unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. A listing without a Responsible Person is usually a sign that this requirement is not met either.

How to check your EU listings

A structured check takes little time per product and prevents a removal order. Work through each product that is offered to consumers in the EU:

1. 1.Export your EU listings per marketplace, including the fields for manufacturer, Responsible Person and safety information.
2. 2.Compare the manufacturer's name and addresses with the label on the product. They must match, and the electronic address must allow direct contact.
3. 3.Confirm that the Responsible Person is established in the EU and has actually taken on the role. For an Authorized Representative, that requires a written mandate.
4. 4.Check the product identification: current picture, type or model, and an identifier such as a batch number or barcode that also appears on the product.
5. 5.Check the warnings and safety information for each country you sell in. Germany, for example, requires German (§ 6 ProdSG).
6. 6.Record the date of the check. Under Article 16(2) GPSR the Responsible Person must be able to show authorities documented evidence of its own regular checks.

Practical example: a U.S. brand with baby and gym products

Consider a U.S. consumer goods brand that sells a baby bouncer and a set of resistance bands through two EU marketplaces, the two product groups covered by the 2026 sweep. The brand has no company in the EU and ships from a fulfilment warehouse in Poland.

The warehouse cannot simply be entered as Responsible Person. A fulfilment service provider takes on the role only where there is no manufacturer, importer or Authorized Representative in the EU (Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020), and it has to accept the tasks. For a brand that wants to keep control, an Authorized Representative with a written mandate is the cleaner solution.

Common mistakes in marketplace listings

• Only the manufacturer's non-EU address. For manufacturers outside the EU, the listing must also name the Responsible Person (Art. 19(b) GPSR).
• A homepage instead of an electronic address. The address must allow consumers to contact you directly.
• Responsible Person in the listing, but not on the product. Article 16(3) requires the details on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document as well.
• Warnings only in English. The language is determined by the member state where the product is sold.
• A Responsible Person that has never seen the product. Article 16(2) requires regular checks against the technical documentation and documented evidence on request.
• Relying on the marketplace to complete the data. The platform must provide the fields and act on orders; the content of the offer is the seller's responsibility.

Conclusion: the gap is now on the seller's side

The 2026 sweep shows that marketplaces have built the structures the GPSR demands. With 560 orders from a single sweep, incomplete offers are now removed rather than tolerated. For manufacturers outside the EU, the most frequent gap is also the easiest to close: a Responsible Person established in the EU whose details are correct in every listing and on every product.

Representa acts as your GPSR Responsible Person in the EU, reviews labeling, packaging and manuals, and keeps your compliance files ready for inspections. If your products also carry CE marking, we can take on the role as EU Authorized Representative under the same mandate.

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