This means that any CE-marked products that are sold into Europe have to have an EU established economic operator listed on the product or packaging. Most larger brands of CE-marked products have an economic operator already established in the EU. The economic operator can be a manufacturer, importer, authorized representative or fulfillment service provider based in the EU. If the products you ship to the EU don’t contain this information, your goods may be stopped at customs and/or be prevented from being delivered to your buyer.
To ensure you're compliant with the regulations, follow these steps:
- Check if you are selling CE-marked products into Europe. You can see examples of products that carry the CE symbol in our FAQ.
- Verify the products are meant for the EU market and comply with the EU legislation. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer.
- If the products are compliant, check whether you see information of the EU manufacturer or EU importer on the products. If there is an EU manufacturer or importer, they are the economic operator in Europe.
- If there is no EU manufacturer or importer, check with the non-EU manufacturer to see if they have an authorized representative. If there is one, obtain the name and contact details (including shipping address) of the authorized representative and ensure that the information is indicated on the product or its packaging.
- If the non-EU manufacturer has not appointed an authorized representative in the EU, work with the manufacturer to appoint one. The authorized representative will need a mandate signed by the manufacturer as well as obtaining and keeping the certificate of conformity/performance and other technical documentation from the manufacturer
- Alternatively, you can use a fulfillment service provider in the EU
If the products you ship to the EU don’t contain this information, your goods may be stopped at customs or be prevented from being delivered to your buyer.
Please note the information provided is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.
From time to time, eBay will request CE documentation from sellers. To find out more, please see our FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an economic operator?
Four types of economic operators are accepted under the new regulations:
- Manufacturer in the EU
- Importer in the EU
- Authorized Representative in the EU
- A fulfillment service provider in the EU
What does an economic operator do?
An economic operator has to be established in the EU. Their key tasks include:
- Verifying that the declaration of conformity / performance for a product has been drawn up and kept pursuant to legal requirements
- Verifying that the technical documentation of the product has been drawn up and provided to the market surveillance authorities on request
- Cooperating with relevant authorities to provide any other information to demonstrate product conformity as required
- Where an economic operator has reason to believe that a product is not compliant or poses a health and safety risk to the public, it has to inform the authorities and take corrective action, whether by itself or by asking the manufacturer to do so
Which products do the regulations and guidelines apply to?
They apply to a wide range of products which are required to bear CE marking. Examples include:
- construction products
- personal protective equipment
- appliances burning gaseous fuels
- products subject to the Directive relating to noise emissions by equipment for use outdoors
- machinery
- toys
- products subject to ecodesign requirements
- products subject to restrictions on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
- pyrotechnic articles
- recreational craft and personal watercraft
- simple pressure vessels
- products subject to the Directive on electromagnetic compatibility
- non-automatic weighing instruments
- measuring instruments
- equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
- products subject to the Low Voltage Directive
- radio equipment
- pressure equipment
Products requiring CE marking are covered by the EU New Approach Directive. The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is a new UK product marking that is used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain. Find more information on EU and UK Government websites:
What is an EU fulfillment service provider?
Fulfillment service providers in the EU are specialist companies or persons in the EU which provide at least two or more of the following services:
- warehousing
- packaging
- addressing
- dispatching
It does not include carriers or logistics service providers which only handle shipment or movement of goods.
If you want to use a fulfillment service provider in the EU, you can work with the manufacturer to provide relevant documents to them. If the fulfillment service provider accepts the documents and your goods, it will become an economic operator and you can then indicate their name or contact information (including shipping address) on the product or its packaging. However, some fulfillment service providers may ask for an authorized representative of your products instead. In which case, you would still need to work with the non-EU manufacturer to appoint an authorized representative in the EU.
How can I find an authorized representative in the EU?
You can work with manufacturers or the brand owner of the products you are selling to see if they have an authorized representative in the EU. You can also research options online as there are quite a number of companies offering authorized representative services in the EU.
In addition, we have identified some experienced third-party companies who may be able to assist. The following companies can provide support for most products (whether soft or hard goods) covered by the requirements.
Do the EU regulations on market surveillance together with the guidelines for its practical implementation apply in the UK?
These regulations and guidelines do not apply to products placed only in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
I received an email asking to upload my CE documents. What documents do I need to provide?
- Declaration of conformity (DoC): A declaration of conformity is a mandatory document that the manufacturer or authorized representative needs to sign to declare that the products comply with the EU or UK requirements. By signing the declaration of conformity, the manufacturer takes full responsibility for the product's compliance with the applicable EU or UK law
- Test reports: The test report provides design, manufacture, and operation of a product. The test report must contain all the details necessary to demonstrate the product conforms to the applicable requirements and supports a declaration of conformity
We will temporarily hide listings if the correct documents haven’t been uploaded within the set timeframe.
I forgot to upload my documents within the set timeframe, and now my listing has been hidden. What can I do?
Please submit an appeal so we can create a new upload option for you. Please do not relist your item until we have verified the documents are compliant.
I submitted the documents within the set timeframe but received an email that the documents are insufficient. What did I miss?
These are common reasons for insufficient documentation that we have seen in the past:
- Incorrect documents are provided. Instead of declaration of conformity, we have seen sellers submit certificate of conformity
- Declaration of conformity missed critical information such as signature, date, EU directive, business address, harmonized standards or type approval