Does GPSR apply to my Shopify store selling to EU customers?
Yes. The GPSR is triggered by where the consumer is located, not where your business is based or which platform you use. If your Shopify store ships non-food products to customers in any EU Member State, Regulation (EU) 2023/988 applies to every one of those transactions. This is true whether your store is based in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, or anywhere else. Running a Shopify store rather than selling on Amazon or Etsy does not reduce your GPSR obligations — in some respects it increases them, because you are operating the marketplace yourself rather than relying on a third-party platform to handle some of the requirements on your behalf.
For Shopify store operators selling to EU customers, the GPSR creates two distinct layers of obligation. The first layer concerns the products themselves: you must have a complete technical file (Article 9) for each non-food product, including an internal risk assessment, applicable EN standards, and correct labelling with your contact details and those of your EU Responsible Person. If you are the manufacturer established in the EU, you act as your own Responsible Person. If you are outside the EU — or if your supplier is — you must designate an EU-based entity to fill that role. The second layer concerns your store's product pages: Article 19 requires each listing to display the manufacturer's name and contact details, the Responsible Person's details, a product image, and applicable safety warnings, all in the official language of the EU country where the customer is located.
There is also a registration obligation that many Shopify sellers overlook. Article 25 of the GPSR requires operators of online marketplaces — and a direct-to-consumer Shopify store qualifies as an online marketplace under the regulation — to register with the EU Safety Gate Online Marketplace Module. This registration provides EU market surveillance authorities with a point of contact for product safety enquiries and recall coordination. Amazon, eBay, and Etsy handle this registration for their platforms; Shopify store operators must do it themselves.
What the law says
Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2023/988 requires distance-selling listings to display safety information and operator details before purchase. Article 25 requires operators of online marketplaces to register with EU Safety Gate. Both apply to Shopify stores selling to EU consumers, regardless of where the store operator is based.
Consequences of non-compliance
EU market surveillance authorities can inspect online stores selling to EU consumers and sanction operators directly, even if the operator is based outside the EU. Fines of up to €100,000. Products can be ordered off the market. Failure to register with Safety Gate is a separate infringement with its own penalties.
GPSRCheck generates the complete GPSR technical file you need for your Shopify store's EU-bound products — risk assessment, Declaration of Conformity, labelling checklist, and printable label. €49 per product.
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