Additional information for businesses
Before each publication, entrepreneurs should check which legal requirements apply to their specific activity, target audience and offer. Different rules may be relevant depending on the business model.
1. Sector-specific and statutory requirements
Depending on the goods or services offered, rules in the following areas may need to be observed in particular:
trade and tax law,
consumer law,
data protection law,
copyright and trademark law,
protection of minors,
product safety and product labelling,
price indications,
special permit, authorisation or registration obligations.
The applicable requirements always depend on the specific offer and activity concerned.
2. Your own legal texts
Where entrepreneurs use their own general terms and conditions, these must match their actual business model and the services offered. Mandatory statutory rights, particularly consumer rights, must not be unlawfully restricted by general terms and conditions.
The same applies to privacy information, withdrawal instructions and other legal notices. Such information need only be used where it is required by the specific business model or statutory provisions.
Templates from the internet or other businesses should not be adopted without checking them. Even small differences in the business model can give rise to different legal requirements.
3. German Accessibility Strengthening Act
Since 28 June 2025, the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) has applied to certain products and services. It covers, among other things, certain e-commerce services provided to consumers. These may include digital services offered through websites or mobile applications with a view to concluding a consumer contract.
Businesses should therefore check whether their digital offerings fall within the scope of the BFSG and which accessibility requirements must be met.
§ 3(3) BFSG contains an exception for microenterprises offering or providing services. A microenterprise is generally a business with fewer than ten employees that also has either annual turnover of no more than €2 million or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €2 million.
However, the exception concerns the provision of services. It does not automatically mean that all BFSG obligations relating to products or other activities cease to apply.
Additional special requirements apply to e-commerce services, for example regarding identification, authentication, security and payment functions.
4. Documents and retention periods
Business documents must be retained in accordance with the applicable statutory provisions.
The retention period depends on the type of document. Under tax and commercial law, for example, the following periods normally apply:
ten years for certain books, records, inventories and annual financial statements,
eight years for accounting vouchers and invoices,
six years for certain commercial and business correspondence.
The details follow in particular from § 147 AO, § 257 HGB and, for invoices, additionally from § 14b UStG.
Entrepreneurs should therefore not delete all documents after a uniform period, but check which statutory retention period applies in each case.
5. Product safety and recalls
Anyone manufacturing, importing, distributing or offering products online may need to observe additional product safety requirements.
For many consumer products, Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety in particular contains requirements concerning product information, warnings and safety information, and handling dangerous products.
Anyone learning that a product they have supplied may be dangerous must, depending on their role in the supply chain, take the necessary action without delay. This may include notifying the manufacturer or importer, corrective measures, withdrawal or recall, and informing the competent market surveillance authorities.
Safety warnings, product recalls and orders from competent authorities should therefore be checked and implemented without delay.
6. Reviewing information regularly
Entrepreneurs should regularly check the information they have entered on Suchen.Expert and update it when changes occur.
This concerns in particular:
business and contact details,
mandatory legal information,
prices and descriptions of services,
product information and safety notices,
legal texts in use, and
necessary permits or registrations.
Note about Suchen.Expert
Suchen.Expert provides the technical facilities for publishing offers and business information.
The platform does not conclusively assess which legal obligations apply to the particular business, sector or offer. The user concerned remains responsible for the lawfulness, accuracy and completeness of the published content.
This overview provides general guidance and does not replace a legal or tax assessment of the individual case.
