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Selling toys to the EU: CE marking, the Toy Safety Directive and GPSR

By Karim El Achaq, founder of EUReady · Last updated: 6 July 2026

Key facts

Toys are the most regulated consumer category in the EU: the Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC) requires CE marking and safety testing, and the GPSR sets the listing rules.
There is no handmade exemption: a wooden rattle, a crocheted plush and a printed puzzle are all legally toys (products for play by children under 14).
Toy-specific duties: CE mark, EN 71 testing, a Declaration of Conformity kept 10 years, age warnings (such as the 0-3 pictogram), and traceability.
A new Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 will progressively replace the directive, adding a digital product passport and tighter chemical rules.

Toys are the most heavily regulated consumer product category in the EU, and the one where enforcement is most aggressive. If you sell toys to EU customers, you are dealing with two layers of law: the Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC), which requires CE marking and safety testing, and the GPSR, which sets the rules for what your online listing must display.

A handmade wooden rattle, a crocheted plush and a printed puzzle are all toys in the legal sense: anything designed or intended for play by children under 14. The craft origin does not reduce the obligations.

What every toys listing must show under GPSR

Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 sets rules for products sold online to EU consumers. Article 19 is the part that hits your product pages directly: every online listing must display, before purchase, the following information.

Manufacturer identity: the name (or trade name) of the manufacturer, a postal address and an electronic address (email). If you make the products yourself under your own brand, that is you.
EU responsible person: if the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and contact details of the responsible economic operator located inside the EU.
Product identification: enough information to identify the product, such as a picture, the product type and any batch or serial reference.
Warnings and safety information: in a language easily understood by consumers of the country you sell to, not only in English.

The same information also has to travel with the physical product (on the item, its packaging or an accompanying document), so your labels and your Shopify pages need to match.

What are the toy-specific requirements?

Beyond GPSR, toys carry the full weight of the Toy Safety Directive: a CE mark backed by EN 71 testing, a Declaration of Conformity, age warnings and traceability. Each element is mandatory before a toy is placed on the EU market.

CE marking: mandatory on every toy sold in the EU. Affixing it means you assert conformity with the essential safety requirements.
EN 71 testing: the harmonised standards (mechanical, flammability, chemical migration) are the practical way to demonstrate conformity. Small parts, cords and magnets are the classic failure points.
Declaration of Conformity: a signed document you must draw up and keep for 10 years.
Age warnings: for example the 0-3 pictogram with the reason (small parts, choking hazard), in the buyer's language.
Traceability: type, batch or serial number, plus your name and address on the toy or its packaging.

Note that the EU has agreed a new Toy Safety Regulation which will progressively replace the directive over the coming years, tightening chemical rules and introducing a digital product passport. If you are building a toy brand now, plan for it.

What does GPSR add on the toy product page?

On top of CE compliance, the GPSR requires your listing to carry the seller-facing information before purchase: the manufacturer's name, postal address and email, the EU responsible person if you are outside the EU, identifying information for the product, and the warnings, all visible before the customer buys.

Do not forget the packaging: EPR applies too

GPSR covers the product. The box, mailer, tape and filler you ship it in fall under a different set of rules: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. If you ship toys to consumers in Germany you must be registered in the LUCID packaging register before your first sale, and in France you need a unique identifier via an eco-organisation such as Citeo (see our France EPR guide). Marketplaces already verify these numbers and block sellers who do not have them.

How to make your Shopify store compliant, step by step

List what you sell to the EU. GPSR applies to new, used, repaired and handmade toys alike. There is no minimum volume: one parcel to an EU customer is enough to be in scope.
Gather the manufacturer information. Your business name, postal address and email if you are the maker; your supplier's details if you resell.
Appoint an EU responsible person if you are outside the EU. Authorised representative services exist from roughly 150 to 500 euros per year. Their details go on your listings and labels. Our responsible person guide explains the options.
Write the warnings and safety information relevant to your products, and translate them for the markets you sell to.
Add all of it to every product page. On Shopify this is usually done with metafields plus a theme block, so the information displays cleanly on each listing.
Sort out packaging EPR for Germany and France if you ship there.

Doing this by hand across a full catalog is where most sellers give up: it is repetitive, error-prone and easy to leave half-finished. That is the exact problem EUReady automates: scan, see what is missing per product, fix it across the catalog in one click.

Check your store for free

EUReady scans every product in your Shopify store, shows you exactly what GPSR and EPR info is missing, and fills it in for you. Join the free beta and be first in line when we launch on the Shopify App Store.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I sell handmade toys in the EU without CE marking?

No. There is no handmade exemption in the Toy Safety Directive. Every toy needs CE marking backed by a technical file, which for most makers means testing against EN 71 or careful self-assessment where permitted.

Is a decorative plush a toy?

If a child could reasonably be expected to play with it, authorities will treat it as a toy regardless of a decorative-item label. The 'this is not a toy' disclaimer does not work for something that looks and functions like a plush toy.

What is the EU responsible person for a toy brand outside the EU?

Toys already required an EU-based economic operator under market surveillance rules, and GPSR extends this logic to listings: the name and contact of your EU responsible person or authorised representative must appear on the product page.

Official sources

This guide is general information for online sellers, based on publicly available EU legislation. It is not legal advice. Regulations evolve and national rules differ: for decisions that matter to your business, confirm with a qualified professional or the official sources linked above.