GPSR Policy

Important Announcement: Changes to EU and Northern Ireland Sales

At Titan Jewellery, we have always been committed to offering our customers high-quality Alternitive Metal Rings and Silver Jewellery with seamless shopping experience. However, due to new regulations coming into effect on 13th December 2024, we regret to inform you that we will no longer be able to ship to customers in Northern Ireland (NI) or the European Union (EU).

This decision is not one we take lightly, but the changes introduced under the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) make it unfeasible for our business to continue selling to these regions. We want to explain why this is happening and provide insight into the new requirements, many of which pose significant challenges for small businesses like ours.

What Is GPSR, and How Does It Impact Us?

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is designed to ensure all products sold to consumers in the EU and NI meet strict safety and compliance standards. While product safety is of paramount importance, the specific requirements introduced under GPSR have created logistical and financial hurdles for small businesses.

Under these new rules, businesses shipping to the EU or NI must:

• Appoint an EU-Based Representative: Every business selling to the EU or NI must have a designated representative within the EU who can act as a point of contact for market authorities. This representative must:
  • Maintain and provide access to technical documentation about our products.
  • Take on liability for ensuring compliance with EU safety laws.
  • Be available to respond to EU authorities regarding product safety issues.
  For small businesses like Titan Jewellery, hiring an EU-based representative involves significant costs, which are simply not feasible given our operational margins.
• Enhanced Product Documentation: We would be required to prepare and maintain detailed safety documentation for every item we sell. For example:
  • Verifying and documenting the chemical composition of metals (e.g., to confirm compliance with EU restrictions on nickel, lead, and cadmium).
  • Providing technical reports to prove our products meet safety standards.
• Additional Labelling Requirements: Every product shipped to the EU or NI must now include labels with the contact information of the EU representative. For our Men's Jewellery, this could involve redesigning packaging and labels, which adds further complexity and expense.

Why Compliance Is Unfeasible for Us

While large companies may have the resources to meet these demands, small businesses face disproportionate challenges. Some of the specific issues we've encountered include:

• The Cost of Representation: Hiring an EU-based representative can cost several thousand pounds annually. For a small business, this expense cannot be justified, especially given the volume of sales we currently make to the EU and NI.
• Overly Bureaucratic Rules: For example, we would need to prove compliance for every single material used in every product we sell. This includes providing documentation for common metals like Titanium and Tungsten and potentially running lab tests for every item.
• Disruption to Margins: Jewellery is a product where margins are already tight, and absorbing these costs would require us to significantly increase prices, which we feel would be unfair to our customers.
• Northern Ireland Protocol Complications: The alignment of Northern Ireland with EU goods regulations under the NI Protocol means these requirements apply to NI customers as well, even though they are part of the UK.

What This Means for Our Customers

From 22nd November 2024, Titan Jewellery will no longer accept orders from customers in NI or the EU. We encourage any customers in these regions to place their orders before this date to avoid disappointment.

We hope this will be a temporary measure. If, in the future, clear and affordable solutions are introduced to help small businesses comply with these regulations, we will reassess our ability to serve our valued customers in the EU and NI.

Our Commitment to You

We are deeply grateful to all our customers in Northern Ireland and the EU who have supported us over the years. This change is frustrating for all involved, but we want you to know that we are exploring alternative solutions and will keep you informed of any updates.

For now, we remain fully committed to providing the best possible service to our UK customers and are focusing on expanding our offerings and enhancing our website to make shopping with us even more enjoyable.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Sincerely,

The Titan Jewellery Team