Marketplace Compliance

Marketplace Compliance

Meet compliance requirements for major online marketplaces. Each platform has its own documentation requirements on top of regulatory law. Missing documents = listing blocked or account suspended.

MCP Tools

# Check product compliance status for marketplace listing
mcp__claude_ai_CLEO_LEGAL_API__compliance/check
  product_description: "<product>"
  ingredients: ["<ingredients>"]
  target_markets: ["EU", "US", "UK"]

# Search for marketplace regulation signals
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="marketplace compliance", limit=25)
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="Amazon GPSR", limit=25)
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="marketplace EPR", limit=25)

# Get product HS code (needed for marketplace customs declarations)
mcp__claude_ai_CLEO_LEGAL_API__customs/reverse-classify
  product_description: "<product>"

# Upload compliance docs (maintain evidence trail)
mcp__bastion__upload-compliance-document(name="amazon-compliance-docs-2026.pdf", document="data:application/pdf;base64,...")
mcp__bastion__add-compliance-test-evidence(testId="<test-id>", name="Marketplace compliance package", description="Amazon EU compliance documentation: GPSR, EPR, test reports", evidenceDocumentId="<doc-id>")

Marketplace Selection Flow

digraph {
  rankdir=TB; node [shape=box style=rounded fontsize=10];
  product [label="Product + target\nmarkets" shape=hexagon];
  region [label="Sales region?" shape=diamond];
  eu [label="Amazon EU\n(DE/FR/IT/ES/NL/SE/PL)"];
  us [label="Amazon US\n+ Walmart"];
  global [label="Shopify / Etsy\n/ TikTok Shop"];
  eu_reqs [label="GPSR info\n+ EPR numbers\n+ RP display\n+ CE/test reports"];
  us_reqs [label="Product safety docs\n+ Prop 65\n+ CPSIA (if kids)\n+ FDA registration"];
  global_reqs [label="Platform policies\n+ local law\ncompliance"];
  upload [label="Upload documents\nto seller portal"];
  monitor [label="Monitor listing\nstatus + policy\nupdates"];

  product -> region;
  region -> eu [label="EU"];
  region -> us [label="US"];
  region -> global [label="Other"];
  eu -> eu_reqs -> upload;
  us -> us_reqs -> upload;
  global -> global_reqs -> upload;
  upload -> monitor;
}

Amazon EU (Mandatory Since July 2025)

GPSR Compliance (General Product Safety Regulation)

Amazon enforces GPSR for ALL products sold on EU marketplaces. Non-compliant listings are suppressed.

Amazon blocks listings without RP information. No exceptions. Even FBA inventory already in EU warehouses gets suppressed.

EPR Registration Numbers

Amazon DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, SE, and PL require EPR registration numbers:

Deadline enforcement: Amazon suppresses listings 30 days after the EPR deadline if numbers are not provided. No warning -- automatic suppression.

Amazon EU Required Documents by Product Category

Amazon US

Amazon Compliance Document Upload

AMAZON COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST -- [ASIN] -- [Date]

ACCOUNT LEVEL:
[ ] Business address verified
[ ] Tax information complete (VAT for EU, EIN for US)
[ ] Product liability insurance (Amazon requires USD 1M for US sellers with > USD 10K/month)
[ ] Brand Registry enrolled (if brand owner)

PER-ASIN (EU):
[ ] Responsible Person info entered (name + address + email)
[ ] GPSR image uploaded
[ ] EPR registration numbers entered (per country)
[ ] CE Declaration of Conformity uploaded
[ ] Test reports uploaded (EN 71, EMC, etc.)
[ ] CPNP notification receipt (cosmetics)
[ ] Battery info entered (required for products containing batteries)

PER-ASIN (US):
[ ] Product safety documents uploaded
[ ] CPC uploaded (children's products)
[ ] FCC certificate uploaded (electronics)
[ ] Prop 65 warning in listing (required for products sold in California)
[ ] FDA registration number (food/cosmetics)
[ ] SDS uploaded (hazardous materials)

Walmart Marketplace (US)

Walmart is stricter on Prop 65 than Amazon. Walmart actively audits listings and suspends non-compliant products without warning.

Shopify

Shopify does NOT enforce compliance documentation uploads. This means the seller bears full legal risk -- no platform safety net.

Etsy

TikTok Shop

Required Documents Matrix (All Platforms)

Listing Optimization: Compliance as Trust Signal

Compliance documentation directly improves conversion:

Power This With the Cleo Legal API

Marketplaces enforce a moving compliance target (Amazon's GPSR-driven RP rules added in 2025, EPR deadlines shifting per country). The API tracks marketplace-relevant rules so listings stop dying overnight.

With the Cleo Legal API at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co:

• GET /v2/coverage?country=DE,FR,IT,ES,NL,SE,PL — instantly check whether your product is regulation-ready for every Amazon EU marketplace
• GET /v2/search?q=GPSR+marketplace+obligations&country=EU — current Article 22 obligations for online marketplaces — Amazon's enforcement reflects these directly
• POST /v2/compliance/check — produces the per-market verdict that Amazon's compliance dashboard duplicates (do it BEFORE Amazon flags you)
• GET /v2/search?q=EPR+packaging&country=DE,FR,IT,ES — current PRO portals (LUCID, CITEO, CONAI, Ecoembes) and deadlines — automate the renewal reminders that prevent the 30-day auto-suppression
• POST /v2/webhooks?topic=marketplace_enforcement — get pinged the moment GPSR or EPR thresholds change before Amazon enforces them

Get started:

# 1. Sign up for free at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co
# 2. Get your API key (3 lifetime requests free, then €349/mo for 1M)
# 3. Install the MCP server:
claude mcp add cleo-legal-api https://api.legaldata.cleolabs.co/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ld_live_YOUR_KEY"

Tested ROI: For an Amazon DE/FR/IT seller, the API costs less than one weekend of stuck-listing revenue loss. EPR deadline tracking alone prevents the 30-day auto-suppression that kills small sellers.

Common Mistakes

• Not entering EPR numbers before Amazon's deadline: Amazon auto-suppresses listings 30 days after EPR deadlines. There is no appeal process -- enter the numbers or lose the listings.
• Using EU RP information for Amazon UK: Amazon UK requires separate UK Responsible Person information. Your EU RP does not count for UK listings.
• Ignoring platform-specific restricted product lists: Each marketplace has its own restricted list on top of legal requirements. A product legal in the US can still be prohibited on Etsy or Shopify.
• Treating Shopify like Amazon: Shopify does not check your compliance. This does not mean compliance is optional -- it means YOU are the only enforcement checkpoint, and authorities will hold you directly accountable.
• Uploading expired test reports: Amazon and Walmart flag expired documents. Maintain a renewal calendar for all test reports, certificates, and registrations.
• Not including Prop 65 warnings on US marketplace listings: Class action lawyers systematically scan Amazon and Walmart listings for missing Prop 65 warnings. Average settlement: USD 30,000-80,000 for small sellers.
• Forgetting marketplace insurance thresholds: Amazon US requires USD 1M product liability insurance once you exceed USD 10,000/month in sales. Failure to provide proof within 30 days of request = account suspension.