General Product Safety Regulation
On this page, you can read what the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is, how bol handles it, and what this means for you.
What does the GPSR entail?
The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is European legislation designed to ensure product safety. The GPSR imposes obligations on market operators to ensure that only safe products are offered on the European market. And to ensure that if something unexpectedly goes wrong, consumers are helped quickly and the unsafe product is removed from the market.
Do you sell items via bol? Then you must ensure, among other things, that the mandatory information about the manufacturer and the responsible market operator in the EU is completed, and that mandatory content, such as safety warnings, is available.
Who does this law apply to?
The law sets requirements for various market operators, such as manufacturers, importers, distributors, and fulfilment service providers.
The GPSR applies to most items sold via bol. There are exceptions, including medicines, food, animal feed, living plants and animals, and plant protection products. Read more about which product range the GPSR applies to on the website of the NVWA.
Other legal obligations may apply to these items. Therefore, always check which laws and regulations apply to your product range.
What does this mean for you?
It is important that you know which market operator you are and which obligations come with it. For example, you can be a manufacturer, importer, or distributor. On the website of Ondernemersplein, you will find a tool under 'Determine your role first' that helps you figure this out.
You are required to add the details of the manufacturer and the responsible market operator in the EU to your items. You must also provide mandatory content, such as safety warnings.
Does an item turn out to be unsafe? In certain cases, you are required to start a recall. In that case, bol will inform the affected customers and, as far as possible, cooperate with the recall.
What happens if you do not comply with the GPSR?
New product range lacking mandatory manufacturer details will no longer go online starting 5 March 2026. For details of the responsible market operator, this applies as of 1 April 2026.
Since 1 April 2026, bol has also been taking existing items offline in phases if manufacturer details are missing.
Which details do you need to add?
Manufacturer details
Fill in the following details per item:
- the name of the manufacturer
- the address of the manufacturer
- the electronic address of the manufacturer, for example an email address or a direct link to a contact page.
Responsible market operator
In addition, state the name, registered trade name or registered trademark, and contact details of the responsible market operator in the EU. This includes the postal address and electronic address (this can be an email address or a direct link to a contact page on a website).
Without a responsible market operator in the EU, an item may not be offered on the EU market.
Have you previously submitted details of the responsible market operator? Then you do not automatically comply with the GPSR. You must include both the required manufacturer details and those of the responsible market operator per item.
Safety warnings
Under the GPSR, mandatory content, such as safety warnings, must be available. As a partner, you are responsible for providing this information.
Therefore, complete this mandatory content carefully and fully. This prevents items from your product range from having to be taken offline.
What is your responsibility?
You are responsible for complying with the GPSR and other laws and regulations that apply to your product range. We help you with information and options to provide the necessary details, but this information is not legal advice.
Not sure which obligations apply to you? Make sure to look into this thoroughly and seek professional legal advice if needed. Here you will find ecosystem partners who can help you.
The most important action points at a glance
- Determine which market operator you are. Use the decision tree on the Ondernemersplein website for this, for example.
- Check which items fall under the GPSR. Keep in mind that other legal obligations may apply to exempt items.
- Fill in the manufacturer details per item. Add the name, address, and electronic address of the manufacturer.
- Fill in the details of the responsible market operator. Make sure the required name and contact details of the responsible market operator in the EU are added.
- Add mandatory content. For example, fill in the required safety warnings fully and carefully.
- Take action if an item turns out to be unsafe. Start a recall if you are required to do so and cooperate with the necessary measures.