Can I sell imported packs with an e-mark?
Yes, provided the packs meet the applicable quantity and labelling requirements. An e-mark declares compliance with the average system; it does not replace the importer's checks or evidence. Agree the quantity controls and approve the retail artwork before shipment with Cambridge China Bridge.
Treat the mark as a declaration
For goods sold in Great Britain, you must ensure that imported packaged goods are packed and labelled correctly. The e-mark declares that the contents comply with the average system. A photograph of the mark does not tell you whether the supplied batch supports that declaration.
Ask the factory which quantity control system it uses and request the records for your actual production batch. This guide addresses quantity control. For substances in the product, use our separate guide to UK REACH for importers.
Check net contents, not the shipping weight
Write the declared net quantity into the purchasing specification. Ask the factory to explain how it separates product weight from packaging weight, how it handles packaging variation and how it selects samples throughout production. A carton weight or a filled-pack weight alone is a poor basis for assessing net contents.
Request the individual results and the factory's assessment against the applicable packers' rules, rather than accepting an unexplained average. Agree how failed results trigger investigation, adjustment and rechecking. For measurement methods and equipment evidence, see checking factory measurements.
Choose the importer evidence route before release
The importer must either perform the required sampling checks with suitable equipment and retain the records, or obtain sufficient evidence of compliance before the packages leave its possession. Under the evidence route, the importer must retain that evidence until the applicable retention date.
Build a batch file containing the product specification, declared quantity, batch identity, sampling method, individual results, packaging-weight information and any corrective action. Match the documents to the goods you receive. Organise this using batch traceability with a Chinese supplier, and ask Trading Standards to confirm the retention date for your circumstances.
Approve the quantity marking before printing
Packaged goods must carry their weight or volume on the label. For packages subject to the packaged-goods marking rules, the nominal quantity is expressed in metric units: volume units for liquids and weight units for other products. Ask Trading Standards to confirm the applicable marking height and the address details needed for your product before approving artwork.
Put the proposed UK importer details, quantity wording, units and any e-mark into the artwork brief. Review an actual printed pack, including sleeves and over-labels, rather than relying only on a screen image. Use checking product labels before packaging is printed for the wider artwork review.
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Make release depend on a complete batch file
Before authorising shipment, compare the final pack with the approved artwork and compare the quantity documents with the batch being shipped. As a purchasing control, hold stock with unexplained short contents, missing results or mismatched batch references until the problem is resolved.
Cambridge China Bridge can build the agreed quantity checks, document requests and pack photographs into the work carried out by its own staff in China. Tell us the destination and product type at the briefing stage, and obtain product-specific advice from Trading Standards where the quantity or marking method is unclear.
Frequently asked questions
Does an e-mark prove imported packs are compliant?
It declares compliance with the average quantity system. Ask for evidence tied to the supplied batch; the printed mark alone does not establish that the contents were checked.
Can I rely on the Chinese factory's quantity records?
An importer can use sufficient compliance evidence obtained before the packs leave its possession. Check that the documents identify your batch and explain the methods and results.
Is the weight of the sealed pack the net weight?
Do not treat it as the net contents without accounting for the packaging. Ask for the packaging-weight method and check whether variations affect the result.
What should I check before retail packaging is printed?
Check the declared quantity, units, proposed importer details and any e-mark. Ask Trading Standards to confirm the applicable marking height and address requirements for your product.