Assortment policy

Is CE marking also mandatory for you?

CE marking is mandatory for items in the following product groups (please note that this does not mean you are allowed to sell all these items via bol):

• Explosives for civilian use
• Pyrotechnic articles
• Construction products
• Toys
• Personal protective equipment
• Electrical, electronic and energy-related items
• Medical devices (please note that these are subject to specific guidelines you need to comply with in addition to the CE markings. You can read about it in Medical Devices Policy)
• Measuring and weighing equipment
• Machinery and related items
• Transport equipment

Is the ECE marking also mandatory for you?

An ECE marking is mandatory for items in the following product groups (please note, this does not mean that you can sell all these items via bol):

• Car seats
• Car lamps
• Helmets

Which responsibilities you have regarding the CE marking depends on your role – i.e. whether you are the importer, distributor or manufacturer. It is your own responsibility to determine whether the articles you sell require CE marking. Use this overview from the RVO to check whether CE marking is mandatory for your item.

Take the following actions to ensure that your product range complies with CE marking:

1. Complete the product information ‘CE marking’. You can find this below mandatory information in the seller dashboard. Via a dropdown menu you can indicate that the CE marking is ‘visible’ (on your item, on the packaging of your item or on a manual of your item). Should your item still not be covered by CE regulations, you can select ‘not applicable’ here. We will check this product information. For current offer it is not obliged to upload a photo.
2. For new product ranges (this means offering a new item for which no product information is yet available), you must upload a photo (JPEG or PDF file type) of the CE marking as applied to the item. If this is not technically possible, a photo of the CE marking on the packaging or on the instruction manual will suffice. Instructions and examples for adding CE marking can be found here.
3. The trade name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in Europe:
   For existing and new ranges, we ask you to fill in the text attribute ‘Trade name and contact address of manufacturer or importer in EU‘ under optional information in the seller dashboard. You should fill in the name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in EU. The information entered will not be visible on bol, nor will we search for the purchase channel. You hereby declare that the information entered is also visible/present on the product or packaging.

Please take the following actions to ensure your range is compliant with the ECE marking:

1. We ask you to fill in the product information ‘ECE marking’ from 24 August 2023 (under optional information in the seller dashboard). From 1 March 2024, this can be found under compulsory information in the seller dashboard. Here you can indicate via a dropdown menu that the ECE marking is ‘visible’ (on your item, on the packaging of your item or on a manual of your item). Should your item still not be covered by ECE regulations, you can select ‘not applicable’ here. We will check this product information. For existing offer, it is not required to upload a photo.
2. For new assortment (this means offering a new article for which no product information is available yet), from 1 March 2024 you have to upload a photo (JPEG or PDF file type) of the ECE marking as applied to the item. If this is not technically possible, a photo of the ECE marking on the packaging or on the instruction manual will suffice. To add the ECE marking, please use the instructions for CE marking, which can be found here.
3. The trade name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in Europe:
   For existing and new offer, we ask you to fill in the text attribute ‘Handelsnaam en contactadres van fabrikant of importeur in EU’, to be filled in under optional information in the seller dashboard. From 1 March 2024, this will be mandatory. Here you must then fill in the name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in the EU. The information entered will not be visible on bol, nor will we search for the purchase channel. You hereby declare that the information entered is also visible/present on the item or packaging.

• If you sell an item from a country outside the EU and sell it under that manufacturer’s brand name, then you are an importer, with the accompanying responsibilities.
• Do you sell an item you bought from a party within the EU? For example, from an importer, a European manufacturer or another distributor? Then you are a distributor.

We will check the product information for completeness and accuracy.

• • If the item is a toy and has safety warnings, add these in the textual product information below ‘Veiligheidswaarschuwingen’ (Safety warnings).
  • Make sure you have the documentation and the declaration of conformity (conformity statement) accompanying the item available. Both bol and the authorities could ask for these.

  Should you need help for the above, we recommend you consult the following resources:

  • The website of the RFO
  • European Commission website
  • Our service partners who can give you advice
  • Our policy on the Partnerplatform

  How to use the CE mark?

  You can recognise the CE marking by the familiar CE mark. It must be affixed to the product or the attached data plate. If this is not technically practicable, you may affix the CE marking to the product packaging or to an accompanying document (you can find the appropriate image here).

  What if you do not fulfil this obligation?

  The (safety) rules are set by law – and so you need to be able to prove that you have the necessary CE mark(s). If not, you are breaking the law. If you do not comply with our policy, your product will be taken offline. We do this to prevent customers from being put at risk by potentially unsafe items.

  Want to find out more?

  To meet all product safety requirements, our service partners are happy to help you on your way. They also offer advice and guidance on testing, certification, marking, quality assurance, labelling, manual writing and packaging design. Read more about our service partners and how they can help you on our product safety Partnerplatform.

E-Waste/Foundation Open

Complying with rules around electrical appliances

Producers and importers of electrical appliances and energy-efficient lamps, as well as entrepreneurs purchasing these products outside the Dutch borders (intra-community acquisition), have various obligations for when these items are discarded. This producer responsibility is fulfilled by joining the OPEN Foundation. This must be done by the person who puts an appliance on the Dutch market for the first time. There are also obligations for partners around discarded electronic devices, or e-waste. It is listed here.

Obligations for producers and importers: registration and reporting to OPEN Foundation

To know whether you should comply with this producer responsibility, you should be able to answer at least one of the questions below with a ‘Yes’:

• Do you manufacture electrical appliances in the Netherlands and market them in the Netherlands?
• Do you buy electrical appliances abroad and bring them onto the Dutch market?
• Are you based abroad and sell electrical appliances directly to Dutch consumers?

It is good to know that almost all items with electricity in them are covered, i.e. all appliances with a plug or a place for a battery. In doubt about this? Then consult with the OPEN Foundation.

Want to know more? Get in touch with the OPEN Foundation. You can register directly via this link.

Obligations for retailers: Old-for-new scheme

In the Netherlands, electronics shops are obliged to take back old appliances when selling new ones (the ‘old-for-new’ scheme). If the customer buys an electrical appliance or energy-efficient light bulb online, the retailer is also obliged to take back a similar product. (Web) shops are obliged to clearly offer the ‘old-for-new’ scheme to their customers before completing the payment process on the website.

Amazon

To avoid confusion for our customers, it is not allowed to sell own-brand items from other platforms through bol.com. For example, items from the Amazon brand or AmazonBasics.

Rejected items

We put the safety and health of customers above commercial interests. In some cases, we anticipate legislation if an item is known to be in question or potentially harmful to users or their environment. Items on the Safety Gate list for rejected items are potentially harmful and should not be offered at bol. Pay extra close attention to this when selling eyelash serums or eye shadow.

Symbol for separate collection 

All electro(on)ish equipment should bear the separate collection symbol: a crossed-out wheeled bin. The symbol indicates that the goods do not belong with ordinary waste. If this marking is not possible due to the size or function of the item, the symbol may also be placed on the packaging, instructions for use or guarantee certificate. 

More information on this symbol can be found at the National (W)EEE Register. 

Connection plugs

Together we offer our customers in the Netherlands and Belgium the widest possible range of products. This also means that the assortment should be suitable for them and therefore all devices without a Dutch or Belgian plug may not be sold through the platform. Also imported items where a travel plug is provided to still be compatible with the Dutch or Belgian connector may not be offered via the platform.

Product description 

Within the Electronics category are mostly complex items where the user needs additional explanations for installation or use. Therefore, make sure you help the customer with a good product description, and not just repeat the product title. 

Second-hand & Refurbished

Second-hand 

Second-hand items or margin goods can only be offered in the book, music and film categories. You cannot apply for selling rights for the other categories. It is therefore not possible to offer second-hand items other than books, music and films at bol. 

Refurbished 

The sale of refurbished range at bol has unfortunately been discontinued for the time being. This is because it is our responsibility to clearly show customers whether an item is refurbished, which is currently not technically possible. And we cannot solve this in the short term either. Refurbished items were allowed in a closed group until January 2022. It is not allowed to offer refurbished items.

Private copy levy

Do you sell items for data storage such as smartphones, DVDs, USB sticks or external hard drives? If so, as a supplier, you have to pay a private copy levy. The fee is intended for artists and authors who lose income because their work is copied by customers on these devices. 

• Do you sell in the Netherlands? Go to Stichting de Thuiskopie. 
• Are you selling in Belgium? Go to Auvibel.

Portophones 

The following conditions for the sale of walkie-talkies are applied: 

• The product must be CE marked and a Declaration of Conformity must be available; 
• A manual in Dutch or English must be included; 
• A licence or registration is required if the walkie-talkie operates outside the following frequencies: –
  434.040 to 434.790 MHz
  – 446.00 to 446.200 MHz 
• In addition, at frequencies between 434.040 MHz to 434.790 MHz, a power of up to 10 mW e.r.p is allowed and at frequencies between 446.00 MHz to 446.200 MHz, a power of up to 500 mW e.r.p is allowed; 
• Can the antenna of the walkie-talkie be screwed or rotated? Then it is a walkie-talkie that can only be used with registration or a licence; 
• In any case, the manufacturer must specify the frequencies and transmission power in the manual; and 
• In addition, when necessary, the manufacturer must state that the device may only be used with registration or licence. 

Keyboards 

To avoid compatibility problems, it is not possible to offer AZERTY keyboards in the Netherlands. However, it is possible to offer QWERTY keyboards in Belgium.

Gas connection gas cookers and hobs 

To avoid unsafe situations, we only want to offer on our platform gas cookers and hobs that have been made specifically suitable for the Netherlands or Belgium through the factory setting. Gas cookers and hobs suitable for connection in a specific country (the Netherlands or Belgium) may be dangerous if they are connected in the country for which they are not intended.