There are four possible consequences: ① Customs detains the goods and requires supplementary certificates or return of the shipment; ② Market surveillance authorities require delisting and recall; ③ Fines, with standards varying by country, and enforcement being strictest in Germany and the Netherlands; ④ E-commerce platforms (especially Amazon Europe) freeze listings, and unfreezing requires submitting reports from accredited laboratories. Return shipping and port detention costs usually far exceed certification costs—this is the biggest hidden cost of "ship first, certify later."
It is necessary to distinguish between the two tracks of "customs" and "market surveillance": customs examines documents and markings, while market surveillance examines the consistency between technical documents and the actual product. The latter often conducts random inspections after sales, with a longer accountability cycle.