EU "responsible person" - is it just a scam?  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 10:56:32 pm
content: I'm sure anyone who's bought from Aliexpress in Europe has noticed "EU representative" or "EU responsible person" labelling on stuff.I noticed that this is also shown on Aliexpress product pages under "product compliance".However when this is shown on what is clearly a highly dangerous and blatantly non-compliant, possibly illegal product, what is actually going on ?For example :https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009915374571.htmlUnder "compliance information", lists :EU responsible person informationName:Apex CE Specialists GmbHAddress:Grafenberger Allee 277,40237 Düsseldorf DEEmail:Info@apex-ce.dePhone:40237(no website and incomplete phone number)Is this just fake info provided by the seller, or a real company who are just cynically taking the money and not giving a crap about anything, and willing to fold at the first sign of trouble?

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 11:06:36 pm
content: It's to do with VAT, I think. Legally you need a responsible company in the EU to pay the VAT on these things to avoid customers getting hit when they buy the product, since many of the de minimus exemptions have ended now. That's what this company does - in theory, AliExpress seller registers the sale with the company and they pay the VAT on behalf of them. I've no idea if they actually do that though. I'm not sure if they're on the hook if the products are non-compliant for CE and UKCA.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 11:19:03 pm
content: ^It has nothing to do with VAT. And the thing is BS that does nothing except implements yet another bureaucratic theater.Quote

author: Uunoctium
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 04:11:09 am
content: A corresponding website is active. Only necessary to swap the TLD to .com.apex-de.comThe postal addresses are the same. Conveniently, the price list is in yuan ¥ and the language can be switched to Chinese.Services they offer are conformity certification for market approvals in Germany:WEEE cert for recycling of electric/electronic goodsVerpackG cert for packaging and its recyclingBattG cert for primary/rechargeble batteries and their recyclingThey are not offering the CE (China Export) certification(s)One of Germanys regulatory authority, BNetzA permanently observes multiple markets, eCommerce included. The Bundesnetzagentur also publishes the results of ongoing investigations and closed ones. Most of are related to violations on electromagentic exposures and they had withdrawn hundreds products from market eg. welding-machines, GSM-booster, e-cigarettes, near all Baofeng handhelds, inverters, drones, BT devices... Also involved with investigations in the DEYE disater ( relay missing for secondary NA protection, independent grid & device prot). Violations are covered by fine.ongoing:https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Technik/Marktueberwachung/MarkteinschraenkendeMassnahmen/Amtsblattmitteilungen.html?closed:https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Technik/Marktueberwachung/MarkteinschraenkendeMassnahmen/EuVertriebsverbote.html?I bet, this certification seller, Apex is on the observe list of several agencies.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 08:21:30 am
content: Quote from: wraper on October 02, 2025, 11:19:03 pmThat's strange. I've received products from Ali before with an e.Vatmaster Consulting GmBH "responsible person" but yes, looking at their website more closely, nothing to with VAT. What a strange name.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 08:47:34 am
content: I wonder if it's a token company to field potential compliance issues for stuff that's drop-shipped or stocked in EU/UK. After all CE compliance is the responsibility of the *importer*. If you buy something direct from China that's you, if it's EU/UK stocked it's them.

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 09:04:48 am
content: Some thoughts about this:Firstly, most (i.e. almost all) Chinese companies lack any understanding of Western laws and regulations. If you want some conformity declaration, they will ask you what to write and you will get that exact wording. Not even in their dreams would they try to actually investigate the according standards or whatever. If someone asks for a CE or FCC label, they just print it on the product and everybody is happy.Secondly, most product descriptions etc. on AliExpress and the like don't make much sense anyway. Most dealers there don't seem to know what they are selling. They just copy some text from here and there. Usually also the "normal" prices are pure fantasy. So, it shouldn't be surprising if they copy some CE compliance information from somewhere.There is also the question if this thing really has 80W optical power. Honestly, I would doubt that. If you search for "80W laser" on AliExpress, most of the things actually are only 10W or so. Which is of course still violating EU regulations, but then again: what on AliExpress doesn't? Actually, I'd bet that any kind of deeper investigation regarding materials used, production and quality control processes would prove that there are almost no products sold on AliExpress (etc.) that are fully compliant with EU regulations.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 10:08:52 am
content: Quote from: 0xdeadbeef on October 03, 2025, 09:04:48 amYou'll probaby lose that bet. Look at cheap (B-brand) tools sold by local shops. You can find the exact same tools on Aliexpress and Amazon for much lower prices. They are not making two different versions; that is for sure!

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 10:44:31 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on October 03, 2025, 10:08:52 amNot two. Many.Multimeters, Soldering Stations and the like that are sold e.g. at Conrad/Voelkner, partly using the Voltcraft branding, are also sold much cheaper under different "brands" on AliExpress, but they tend to lack safety components like MOVs, come with cheap glass fuses etc. Why would this be totally different for power tools?Besides, the stuff that is sold under pseudo-brand-names in local shops is not necessarily compliant to European laws. E.g. Aldi already sold stuff with fake product tests ("Stiftung Warentest") and I'm pretty sure that was not a singular event. There are product warnings about dangerous products sold locally all the time.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 02:17:01 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on October 03, 2025, 08:21:30 amFrom their website : "Committing to Product Safety"meanwhile from a listing citing them as EURP :https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010055649745.htmlI wonder if their clients have to submit any product info at all to them - seems like it's just a cynical rubber-stamping excersise.

author: Electrodynamic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 05:02:02 pm
content: This sounds similar to the UL CSA CE approved stuff.Meanwhile one in ten approved 13w LED bulbs supposedly made in America have heat related brown spots near the electronics or start smoking. As well most don't last even close to the average 30,000 hr rating.I also noticed most electronics have a sub par input buffer section where the L C components tend to melt down. In the old days EMI wasn't a big problem now it is. I also monitor grid energy, power, voltage, current, PF and frequency in my smart home system. Voltage and PF is all over the map on any given day.This isn't so much an approval problem as a cheap crap from companies chasing increased profit margins problem, imo.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 05:45:26 pm
content: The term "responsible person" exists in US and EU law, for different purposes having to do with meeting regulations.One site relevant to the EU:https://prodlaw.eu/2024/06/gpsr-focus-responsible-person-role/