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Amazon Rules: US vs. EU vs. UK Requirements

Selling on Amazon's US marketplace requires CPCs, FCC IDs, and Prop 65 warnings. Selling on Amazon's EU marketplaces (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and others) requires CE Declarations of Conformity, REACH SVHC communication, and WEEE registration. Selling on Amazon's UK marketplace requires UKCA Declarations of Conformity, UK REACH compliance, and UK-specific WEEE registration. Three marketplaces, three sets of compliance documentation, one Seller Central account — and Amazon's enforcement systems in each marketplace operate independently.

This guide compares Amazon compliance requirements across the US, EU, and UK marketplaces and shows how to manage multi-marketplace compliance without losing listings to documentation requests.

Not sure what each Amazon marketplace requires for your product category? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select your product type and compare the US, EU, and UK frameworks that Amazon enforces in each marketplace.

Cosmetics Regulation: US, EU, and UK Compared

Cosmetics regulation in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom operates on three different legal frameworks — and a cosmetic product sold in all three markets needs three different safety assessments, three different product notifications, and potentially three different labels. The US system under MoCRA emphasizes manufacturer self-declaration of safety. The EU system requires a formal Cosmetic Product Safety Report by a qualified safety assessor. The UK system, post-Brexit, mirrors the EU structure but with separate notification, separate responsible person requirements, and the UK's own scientific advisory function.

This guide compares cosmetics compliance across all three markets and shows how to build multi-market compliance from the same toxicological data and the same product formulation.

Not sure which cosmetics regulations apply in which market? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Cosmetics and switch between the US, EU, and UK to see MoCRA, CPSR, and UK notification requirements side by side.

Electronics: FCC vs. CE vs. UKCA Compared

Electronics is the product category with the most regulatory diversity across the three major Western markets. The US requires FCC and UL. The EU requires CE Marking under the EMC Directive, the Low Voltage Directive (or Radio Equipment Directive for wireless devices), and RoHS substance restrictions. The UK requires UKCA marking — which, for electronics, uses the same technical standards as the EU but requires separate conformity assessment and documentation. And an FCC test report is not valid for CE Marking. A CE Declaration of Conformity is not valid for UKCA.

This guide compares electronics compliance across the US, EU, and UK, and explains how to build multi-market compliance from a single test program and a single set of product data.

Not sure which EMC, safety, and substance regulations apply where? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Electronics and toggle between markets to see FCC, CE, and UKCA requirements side by side.

Toy Safety: US ASTM vs. EU EN 71 vs. UK Standards

A toy sold in all three major Western markets must comply with ASTM F963 in the United States, EN 71 in the European Union, and the UK's designated standards (currently BS EN 71) in Great Britain. Three different testing standards, three separate certificates, and different chemical limits in each market. The most expensive compliance mistake in the toy industry is designing and manufacturing for one market and then discovering — after inventory is produced — that the product cannot legally be sold in the other two.

This guide compares toy compliance across the US, EU, and UK and explains how to build multi-market compliance from a single test program.

Not sure which toy safety standards apply in each market? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Toys and compare the US, EU, and UK frameworks at a glance.

Clothing Rules by Market: US, EU, and UK Compared

A clothing brand that sells in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom must navigate three separate regulatory frameworks for what is fundamentally the same product. The US requires a flammability certificate and FTC labeling. The EU requires REACH SVHC communication and GPSR compliance. The UK — since Brexit — requires its own UKCA marking and separate chemical compliance documentation. None of these frameworks accept the others' certificates.

This guide compares apparel compliance across all three markets and explains how to manage it without tripling your regulatory overhead.

Not sure which apparel regulations apply in which market? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Apparel and switch between the US, EU, and UK to see every framework side by side.

Food Compliance: US vs. EU vs. UK at a Glance

Selling food in one market is a regulatory challenge. Selling the same food product in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom — as many e-commerce brands do when they scale from domestic to international — means complying with three regulatory frameworks that share similar goals but differ significantly in their implementation. Your FDA-compliant food label is not valid in the EU. Your EU food contact packaging declaration is not accepted by the FDA. And since Brexit, the UK is a separate regulatory jurisdiction with its own rules.

This guide compares the food safety, labeling, and packaging requirements across all three markets and shows how to manage multi-market food compliance without maintaining three separate compliance programs.

Not sure which food regulations apply in which market? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Food and toggle between the US, EU, and UK to see the regulatory differences side by side.

Selling on Amazon US: The Rules That Get You Delisted

Amazon's compliance enforcement works differently from government regulation. The FCC does not scan Amazon listings for missing FCC IDs. The CPSC does not crawl Seller Central for missing CPCs. But Amazon does. Its automated compliance systems flag listings, request documentation, and suppress ASINs — and the seller gets a notification with a deadline.

The most common reason a product listing gets removed on Amazon is not a safety violation. It is that the seller could not produce the required compliance documents within the deadline Amazon gave them. The compliance existed, or could have existed — but it was not structured, not accessible, and not upload-ready when Amazon asked.

This guide covers the compliance documentation Amazon requires by product category and how to have it ready before the enforcement notice arrives.

On the Sustalium platform, the sellers who survive Amazon's compliance sweeps without listing disruptions are not the ones with the best compliance programs — they are the ones who can produce every required document for every ASIN within the 72-hour window Amazon gives them. Compliance that exists but cannot be found might as well not exist.

Not sure which documents your Amazon category requires? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select your product type and the US, and see every certificate, test report, and warning Amazon's system expects for that category.

US Cosmetics Brand: What Most Founders Overlook

The gap between making a great lipstick in your kitchen and selling it legally in the United States is wider than most founders expect. Since MoCRA was signed into law in 2022, cosmetic regulation in the US changed fundamentally — facility registration is now mandatory, product listing is mandatory, safety substantiation is mandatory, and adverse event reporting is mandatory. And if you also sell in Europe, you need a separate EU Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) before your product reaches the market.

This guide walks through launching a cosmetics brand with the regulatory steps at each stage — so you are not discovering MoCRA requirements the week your product is supposed to ship.

On the Sustalium platform, the pattern we see with cosmetics brands is consistent: the founder handles formulation, packaging, branding, and website — then discovers MoCRA product listing and safety substantiation exist when Amazon requests the documentation. The compliance obligation has been in place for two years. The brand simply did not know it applied to them.

Not sure which regulations govern your cosmetics brand? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Cosmetics and your target market, and see every framework from FDA MoCRA to the EU CPSR and UK SCPN notification.

Electronics in the US: What Most Sellers Overlook

Starting an electronics brand costs more than most founders expect — and not because of manufacturing. It is the testing and certification. Every electronic product sold in the US requires FCC compliance as a matter of federal law. UL certification is commercially mandatory even where it is not legally required. And if you sell on Amazon, you need both plus a General Certificate of Conformity before your listing goes live.

This guide walks through launching an electronics product with the compliance planned and budgeted from the start.

On the Sustalium platform, the gap we see between electronics brands that launch on time and electronics brands that delay their launch by months is pre-compliance testing. The brands that send a prototype to the lab for a pre-scan before the formal FCC test identify emissions problems while they can still fix them at the PCB stage. The brands that go straight to formal testing discover the problem when the test report says "fail" — and they have already cut tooling.

Not sure which regulations apply to your electronics product? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Electronics and your target market, and see every framework from FCC and UL to e-waste and Prop 65.

Importing Toys Into the US: What Nobody Tells You

Toys are the most regulated consumer product category in the United States — and the compliance cost is not optional. Unlike adult furniture or general apparel, where you can issue a GCC based on a reasonable testing program, every toy sold in the US requires third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, a Children's Product Certificate (CPC), and a tracking label permanently affixed to the product.

If you are importing toys for the first time — whether you designed them yourself or are sourcing from a manufacturer — the compliance path is the same. On the Sustalium platform, the single most common CPC rejection we see is a mismatch between the manufacturer name on the certificate and the importer name on the seller account. The testing is fine. The paperwork is wrong. Here is what you need before your toys reach a US port.

Not sure which CPSC standards apply to your toy? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Toys and the US, and see every applicable framework from ASTM F963 to state packaging rules.