Why the rules exist
Many products can cause harm if they are made badly, used wrongly or misunderstood: a toy with small parts, an electrical device, a cosmetic, a food item, a garment that burns easily, a chemical cleaner. To reduce that harm, many places set rules that require certain products to meet safety standards, carry specific labels or warnings, or be tested before they are sold.
Labeling rules also serve buyers by telling them what a product is made of, where it came from, how to use it and what to watch out for. For the seller, the rules are part of the cost of doing business in a category.
This article offers general information, not legal advice. The details differ between countries and regions and change over time, so you will need to check the rules that apply to your own products and markets.
Common kinds of requirements
The following types turn up often, though not every place has all of them, and not every product is covered.
- Content and ingredient lists. Food, cosmetics, cleaning products and some other goods are often required to list ingredients or materials.
- Fiber content and care instructions. Textiles and clothing in many places must state what they are made of and how to care for them.
- Country of origin. Some goods must show where they were made.
- Quantity and size. Weight, volume or count may need to be shown in particular units.
- Warnings and age grading. Items for children, products with small parts, flammable materials and some tools frequently need warnings or age information.
- Safety standards and testing. Electrical goods, toys, children’s products, and some personal-care items are often expected to meet recognized standards and sometimes require testing or certification marks.
- Batch or lot codes and dates. Foods and some other goods may need expiry or production information to allow recalls.
- Manufacturer or importer details. Some systems require a responsible business to be identified on the product or packaging.
- Instructions and language. Instructions may have to be provided, and in certain places in a particular language.
- Packaging and recycling marks. Some regions have separate labeling for packaging materials.
Online sellers are not exempt
Selling online does not remove these duties. In many places the seller, importer or brand owner is responsible for compliance, even when a supplier made the item. That is particularly important for private label goods, where your name may be on the product, and for anything you import. If you resell another maker’s goods, you may still be responsible for checking that what you sell is lawful and safe.
Online listings can also carry requirements. Some rules expect certain information, such as ingredients or warnings, to be visible on the product page before purchase, not only on the package. Accurate product descriptions and a clear specifications table help, and they have commercial benefits too.
Categories that deserve extra care
Take more time to research if you plan to sell:
- Food and drink, supplements or anything ingested.
- Cosmetics, skin care and personal-care items.
- Children’s products and toys.
- Electrical and battery-powered devices.
- Items marketed with health or safety claims.
- Furniture, textiles and sleepwear.
- Chemicals, aerosols and anything flammable.
- Regulated items such as knives, certain tools or age-restricted goods.
Some of these also face carrier or marketplace rules. Shipping restrictions on batteries, liquids or hazardous goods are common, and the article on restricted items covers prohibited categories in more detail. Where the product itself is a restricted item in the country of sale, labeling is the least of your issues.
How to find the rules that apply to you
A reasonable research process looks like this:
- Identify the exact product and its category. Rules attach to specific product types and sometimes to intended users, such as children.
- List where you will sell. The relevant rules usually depend on the buyer’s location, so cross border selling widens the list.
- Visit official sources. Government consumer-safety, trade, food, health or standards authorities often publish guides for sellers and importers. Search by product type and your country.
- Check industry associations. Trade bodies sometimes summarize requirements in plain language, though they are not authoritative.
- Ask your supplier for documents. Test reports, certificates and declarations of conformity are common in some categories. Treat them with some caution, since documents can be wrong or outdated, and confirm that they refer to the exact product you are buying. Doing supplier vetting before committing helps here.
- Check marketplace and carrier policies. Even legal products may have extra listing requirements.
- Consult a professional when in doubt. A compliance consultant, testing lab or lawyer familiar with your product type can save costly mistakes.
Keep records
Keep copies of labels, test reports, supplier declarations and the date you checked each rule. If a regulator, marketplace or customer later asks questions, those records show you acted carefully. Note also each batch’s source so you can act quickly if a defect is found.
If a problem appears
Products sometimes turn out to have a defect or a labeling error. A responsible approach is to stop selling the affected item, find out how many units and customers are involved, check whether the rules require reporting or a recall, contact affected buyers, and fix the cause before selling again. Many places have recall procedures, and a professional can guide you. Insurance for product liability may also be worth discussing, along with your choice of business structure.
A cautious mindset
It is tempting to assume that if a product is sold widely, it must comply. That is not a safe assumption, as non-compliant goods are sometimes sold until someone notices. Spending time on rules before stocking a category is usually cheaper than correcting problems after launch. If you cannot work out the requirements for a product with reasonable confidence, choosing a different product may be the better business decision.