GPSR for furniture importers comes down to one rule: a sofa, bed base or mattress made outside the EU can only be sold to EU consumers if an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it, and for furniture bought from a Turkish factory that operator is normally you, the importer. You then share the work with the factory: the factory carries out the risk analysis and prepares the technical documentation, and you check it, keep a copy, put your name on the product and handle accidents and recalls.
This guide is written by ellda mobilya, a furniture manufacturer in Kayseri, Türkiye, producing sofa sets, corner sofas, bed base sets and mattresses since 2010. Our EU import guide covers the customs union, the A.TR and import VAT. This one goes deeper into the General Product Safety Regulation: what the factory must give you, what you must do yourself, and how to write it into a furniture order.
What is the GPSR and does it cover furniture?
The General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, has applied since 13 December 2024 and replaced the old General Product Safety Directive (EUR-Lex). It is a horizontal law: it covers consumer products for which no specific EU safety legislation exists, and it fills the gaps for products where specific legislation covers only some risks.
Domestic upholstered furniture, bed bases and mattresses have no dedicated EU product directive, so they fall under the GPSR when they are sold to consumers. Furniture sold only for business use, such as a hotel fit-out, can still be caught if it is likely to end up being used by consumers, so check this with your adviser before assuming a contract order is outside the scope.
Last verified: 2 November 2026. We found no amendment to the regulation in force since it began to apply; national penalty rules are set by each member state.
Who is the responsible economic operator?
Article 16 of the GPSR applies the rule from the Market Surveillance Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, to non-harmonised products such as furniture: a product may only be placed on the EU market if an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for the tasks set out there (EUR-Lex). That operator can be:
- the manufacturer, if it is established in the EU;
- the importer, when the manufacturer is outside the EU;
- an authorised representative appointed in writing by the manufacturer;
- a fulfilment service provider, when no other operator is established in the EU.
For a container of sofas from Türkiye bought by a German or Dutch retailer, the importer is usually the responsible operator. A factory outside the EU can appoint an authorised representative, but that is a separate contract, not something to assume from a quote.
What the factory does under Article 9
Article 9 sets the manufacturer's obligations. The ones that matter for a furniture order are:
- Internal risk analysis. Before the product is placed on the market, the manufacturer analyses its risks and documents the analysis.
- Technical documentation. A file describing the product and the risk analysis, kept up to date and available to market surveillance authorities for 10 years after the product is placed on the market.
- Product identification. A type, batch or serial number, or another element that identifies the product, visible to the consumer.
- Manufacturer identification. Name, registered trade name or trade mark, and a postal and electronic address, on the product or, where that is not possible, on the packaging or an accompanying document.
- Instructions and safety information in a language consumers in the member state of sale can easily understand, where they are needed for safe use and assembly.
For furniture, a risk analysis typically looks at stability and tipping, strength of frames and joints, finger traps and pinch points in mechanisms such as gas-lift storage bed bases and recliners, sharp edges, small detachable parts and fire behaviour where a national rule or the buyer requires it. European standards for domestic seating (EN 12520) and beds (EN 1725) are often used as references in that analysis; a test laboratory can tell you which apply to a given model.
What you do as importer under Article 11
The importer's duties sit on top of the manufacturer's. In practice:
- Check before you sell. Make sure the manufacturer has carried out the risk analysis, prepared the technical documentation and labelled the product. If you have reason to believe a product is not safe, you must not place it on the market.
- Put your own details on the product. Your name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal and electronic address go on the product, or on the packaging or an accompanying document where that is not possible. They must not hide the manufacturer's details.
- Keep a copy of the technical documentation for 10 years and give it to authorities on request.
- Protect the product in your care. Storage and transport conditions must not compromise its safety.
- Act on problems. If a product turns out to be dangerous, you inform the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway and take corrective action.
Online sales
If you or your customers sell online, Article 19 requires each offer to show the manufacturer's details, the responsible person in the EU when the manufacturer is outside the EU, information that identifies the product (including a picture and type), and any warnings or safety information. Ask the factory for product photos and the exact model names and codes that will appear on the label, so your listings match the product in the box.
Accidents, recalls and the Safety Business Gateway
Article 20 requires accidents caused by a product that lead to death or serious adverse effects on health and safety to be reported to the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway without undue delay. When the manufacturer is outside the EU, the responsible person in the EU makes sure this happens. The Commission's guidance on the gateway explains who may file and how (European Commission notice).
The GPSR also sets rules for recall notices and the remedies offered to consumers. For an importer of furniture, the practical consequence is traceability: you must be able to say which batch went to which customer. Keep the batch or order reference from the factory label in your sales records.
Who does what on a GPSR furniture order
| Task | Turkish factory | EU importer |
|---|---|---|
| Internal risk analysis | Prepares it | Checks it exists and covers the models ordered |
| Technical documentation | Prepares and updates it | Keeps a copy for 10 years |
| Type, batch or serial number on each piece | Applies it at production | Uses it in sales and stock records |
| Manufacturer name and addresses | On product, packaging or accompanying document | Checks it is present |
| Importer name and addresses | Applies it if you send the wording before production | Supplies the wording, or labels after arrival |
| Instructions and warnings in the language of sale | Supplies source text; prints if agreed | Approves the translation for each market |
| Online listing information | Supplies photos, model names, codes | Publishes it |
| Accident reports and recalls | Cooperates and investigates | Notifies authorities, informs customers |
GPSR furniture checklist for your next enquiry
Put these lines in the enquiry so the answers come back in the quote, not after the goods are shipped:
- Destination member states and sales channels (store, online, contract).
- "GPSR: please confirm the product information and documentation you can supply for each model."
- Your company name, trade name, postal address and email address exactly as they should appear on the label.
- Label position: sewn-in label, label under the base, carton label or leaflet.
- Languages needed for instructions, assembly steps and warnings.
- Batch or order reference format, so it matches your stock system.
- Mechanisms on the order (storage bed bases, recliners) and any national or contract requirement, such as a fire test, named per model.
- Product photos and model codes for your online listings.
How ellda handles GPSR questions
We make sofa sets, corner sofas, bed base sets and mattresses in our 10,500 m² factory in Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone. Every order passes a quality check for dimensions, stitching, surfaces and mechanisms before export packing; the steps are on our production page, and our guide to a furniture factory in Turkey from order to shipment shows where labelling fits in.
We do not make a general compliance claim on a website. What we can supply for a specific order, including product information, labels with your importer details and warning texts, is confirmed in the quote together with price, minimum quantities, lead time and delivery terms. Our team works in English, and you can visit the factory by appointment to see how labels are applied.
Next step
Choose the models from the catalogue, for example sofa sets or bed base sets with bases in 160 × 200, 180 × 200 and 90 × 200 cm, and send the list with the checklist above through our export page or as a quote request. Agree the commodity codes with your broker using our HS code guide, and for the full process from shortlist to delivery read importing furniture from Turkey.