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.

Bamboo & Melamine tableware

Be careful when offering children’s crockery or camping crockery. Dinnerware made of bamboo or corn fibers can be harmful in combination with the plastic melamine. The Dutch and Belgian regulators, the NVWA and the FAVV, advised to stop selling these items immediately. You can only continue to offer items that consist entirely of bamboo or entirely of melamine.

> You can find the investigation report on the NVWA website

(Toy) weapons, water guns, airsoft and accessories

In addition to the general bol.com guidelines for toy sales, we set some specific conditions for toy weapons. These are designed to minimize risks to the user and their environment and are in line with Dutch and Belgian legislation. You may offer items that can be used as toy weapons only when they meet the requirements below:

• Age limit
  The toy weapon must be intended for use by children under 14 years of age
• Own brand name/modification
  If you place a toy on the market under your own name or brand name, or if you modify a toy in such a way that compliance with the applicable requirements is compromised, you are considered to be a manufacturer and you must assume the obligations of the manufacturer.
• CE marking
  Toy weapons must bear a CE marking that is visibly, legibly and indelibly affixed to the toy or on a label attached to the toy or on the packaging.

Replicas, counterfeit weapons and airsoft weapons

Toy guns that could be mistaken for real weapons are not allowed to be sold through bol.com. We only allow toy weapons (including water guns) that have a brightly colored marking on the front of the barrel or that are brightly colored or have brightly colored elements so that it is clear that this is a toy weapon. We do not sell toy hand grenades.

It is not permitted to offer the following products on bol.com, not even when they are mounted on another item and also when the shot power is below 0.08 joules;

• Airsoft weapons;
• Alarm guns;
• BB guns (also called ball guns);
• Paintball guns;
• Water ball guns;
• Neither do we allow balls, bullets, maintenance products, gun cases and other accessories that are
  specifically used for these weapons.

We do allow claps for a clap pistol.

Hand and crossbows intended for the sport of archery, both for hobby and professional use, are not allowed. Hand and crossbows that have arrows with a suction cup may be carried. Loose arrows without a suction cup are not permitted.

Catapults are not allowed with the exception of catapults that can unmistakably be classified as (children’s) toys.

Swimming aids

To ensure the quality and safety of our combined product range, it is important that the following swimming aids comply with European standards and recognized quality marks: swimming straps, swimming wings, swimming seats, swimming rings, swimming trainers, swimming belts and swimming vests. This is because customers purchase swimming aids to protect their safety in the water.

Therefore, at bol, you can only offer swimming aids when:

• You have a test report in your possession.
• For every product, an approval body checks that you can swim safely with it. Are your swimming aids approved? Then this is documented in test reports. It is important that you have the test reports. We count on you to provide them within 5 working days if we ask for them.
• You have provided information in the ‘Type instantiekeurmerk’ in your product information. Valid marks can be found in the list of accredited institutions.

A photo of the item or product packaging is included on the product page. The photo clearly shows that:

• A CE mark is printed on the swimming aid.
• An instant seal is printed on the swimming aid.

A photo of the instructions

• The swimming aid must contain instructions in Dutch or English.

Non-retractable knives and catapults

Due to safety reasons, you can only offer knives at bol that are collapsible, such as Stanley knives and pocketknives. Axes are also allowed. With collapsible knives we mean knives that you can make smaller by hinging or sliding and where you fold the blade into the handle to store it safely in your pocket. Non-folding knives include machetes (including those intended for gardening), daggers and hunting knives. When you offer a knife, we ask you to indicate whether or not your knife is collapsible. 

Furthermore, your offer must comply with the applicable laws and regulations. Items in the product category ‘knives’ are regulated in the Netherlands by the Wet Wapens en Munitie (the Weapons and Ammunition Act). You are not allowed to sell any of the items covered by this law via bol. Not even if the law allows certain weapons to be sold to licensees. We cannot allow this because it is impossible to check if customers have a valid license. 

*The above applies to the Sport, Camping & Outdoor range. This means that cooking knives and dinner knives are, however, allowed for sale when offered in the appropriate category. 

It is the responsibility of every partner to know the Weapons and Ammunition Act, if you sell assortment that qualifies for it. In order to best enforce the Weapons and Ammunition Act, it has been decided to provide additional clarification and/or guidelines within a number of categories: 

The following items are not allowed to sell on bol: 

• Butterfly knives / Balisong
  Neither is it allowed to sell so-called training knives / trainers of this type via bol. 
• Stiletto knives, also known as drop knives and switchblade knives
  Neither is it allowed to sell so-called training knives / trainers of this type via bol. 
• Knives that are ‘concealed’ by resembling an innocuous item such as a pen, comb, bank card, etc.
  Also described as blank weapons that, in appearance, resemble an object other than a weapon.
• Throwing knives and throwing stars (also known as shuriken, ninja stars)
  Including trainers. Excluded are costume accessories that fall under the toy directive and are therefore in terms of target group intended for children under 14. 

Keys, lockpicks & odometer

At bol, we do not want to offer items that could potentially harm users or their environment. Therefore, we do not sell items that are used almost exclusively for criminal purposes. So you should not offer products that are strongly associated with burglary or fraud, such as: 

• Duplicators for keys 
• Odometer reversers 
• Cylinder pullers 
• Duplicators for keys 
• Lockpickguns* 
• Car belt clips to stop the alarm are also not allowed 

*As opposed to lockpickguns, lockpick sets are allowed because of their hobbyist nature and the minimal force applied to them. 

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.

Precursors for explosives

European regulation on explosives precursors 

Home-explosives are weapons commonly used by terrorists and other criminals. This is due to the accessibility of some raw materials for explosives. The availability of these substances is restricted by European regulations. As of February 1, 2021, the new European Regulation 2019/1148 applies for explosives precursors. This may have implications for you as an entrepreneur and partner of bol. 

The implications for you as an entrepreneur 

The regulation brings new obligations for sellers of assortment that may contain raw materials for explosives, so possibly also for you as a business owner. These obligations are described in European Regulation 2019/1148. You can read more information on the website of the NCTV (note: this website has not yet been updated to the new regulation). Bol, as an online platform, is legally obliged under the Regulation, among other things, to report suspicious transactions, disappearance and theft of items containing certain raw materials to the Suspicious Transactions Chemicals Disclosure Office. Please note that this reporting obligation does not only apply to online platforms like bol, but also to you as an entrepreneur. 

The implications for your offer on bol – provide additional information 

Bol will only allow the sales of items in which concentrations of the specific raw materials are below the limit for (license-free) sales as specified in the regulation. To make this possible, from February 1, 2021, it will be compulsory at bol to fill in the concentrations of the specific raw materials at product attributes. If you do not fill in this information before 1 February, the relevant article will be taken offline. This will also happen if the concentrations of the specific raw materials are above the limit mentioned above. The annexes of the European Regulation 2019/1148 describe the specific limit values of the raw materials. You can find the regulation here. 

Which product attributes are mandatory? 

Below you can find the raw materials that are mandatory to add to your product attributes, depending on the type of assortment:

These items, among others, may contain these raw materials:

An electric bike has a number of features. 

• The bike has pedal assistance of up to 25 kilometres per hour. 
• You have to pedal along to move forward. 
• The bike’s electric motor has an output of up to 250 watts. 

If the pedelec does not comply with any of the points above, this article needs a type approval from the RDW or another competent inspection body. Without a type approval, you cannot sell the item. For more information, click here.