Identifying your role

Distributor's obligations

Distributor refers to a company that sells a product that has been manufactured in the EU or already been placed on the EU market. Distributors include retailers and wholesalers, along with commercial sellers of used goods, such as recycling centres and flea markets.

What must be done before a product is put on sale?

The distributor must check that the product bears the required markings and that the required documents, instructions and safety information in Finnish and Swedish have been included with the product. If the manufacturer or importer has not translated the instructions and safety information in Finnish and Swedish, the distributor is responsible for translating them.

The distributor must ensure that the storage or transport conditions do not jeopardise product compliance.

Obligations after selling the product 

The distributor must, for 10 years after the product is sold, keep the identifying information of both the companies that have supplied the distributor products and the companies to whom the distributor has delivered products.

At the request of Tukes, the distributor must provide all the information and documentation necessary to demonstrate the conformity of the product. The distributor must co-operate with the market surveillance authority.

Learn more about corporate responsibilities

I Know My Product webinar: Roles and responsibilities

The obligations of economic operators as a table on the Tukes website