do GPSR rules also apply to secondhand or vintage items I sell

Second-hand goods generally do fall within scope, with one clear exception

Second-hand and vintage products are in most cases subject to GPSR, unless they are products sold as antiques or products that require repair or refurbishment before they can be used again and this is communicated to the buyer. The regulation targets products that are "placed on the market" in the context of a commercial activity, and the age of the product is not in itself a determining factor. A webshop selling second-hand children's toys, electronics or clothing thus in principle operates under the same rules as a seller of new products.

What does change with second-hand goods is the role someone plays in that chain. Whoever resells second-hand products as they are, without applying their own brand or substantially modifying them, is typically a distributor — and what obligations a distributor does and does not have is considerably narrower than those of a manufacturer. However, as soon as a second-hand product is refurbished and offered under a private brand or name, that picture shifts: whoever applies their own brand to a product is considered a manufacturer, even if the product originally came from someone else. For individuals occasionally selling goods on a marketplace, the rules are different, because GPSR applies to commercial activity; whether selling as a private individual on a marketplace falls under GPSR is then the first question to answer.

Where that appears in the regulation

Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2023/988 defines the scope by reference to products placed on the market, and explicitly mentions the exception for antiques and products requiring repair or refurbishment before use, provided the supplier clearly informs the consumer. Article 1 describes the objective of the regulation: a high level of consumer protection for non-food products offered to consumers in the EU. NVWA confirms on its product safety page that GPSR applies to virtually all consumer products placed on the EU market, with new or second-hand being no distinguishing criterion.