How to sell on Amazon Germany and expand across the EU
Updated · By Ecomsellertool editorial team
To sell on Amazon.de from outside the EU, register for German VAT before stock reaches German fulfillment centers, register your packaging in the LUCID register with a system operator contract, name an EU responsible person under the GPSR, appoint German authorised representatives for packaging, electronics and batteries if you have no German branch, and publish German listings. Amazon collects VAT on B2C orders shipped from EU stock, but you still file German returns. Pan-European FBA needs a VAT number in each storage country.
- German VAT is 19% (7% reduced). US companies register with Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt and file a return for every month or quarter, even with no sales, by the 10th of the next month.
- Since 1 July 2026, B2C orders worth up to EUR 150 shipped into the EU from outside it pay a temporary EUR 3 customs duty per item, until 1 July 2028, whatever VAT scheme is used.
- Since 1 July 2021, Amazon collects EU VAT on B2C orders delivered from EU stock when the seller is not established in the EU.
- Since 1 July 2022, every producer of packaged goods sold in Germany must be in the free LUCID register; marketplaces must now verify that registration and a self-certification of EPR compliance.
- Since 12 August 2026, companies with no German branch that sell packaged goods directly to German end users must appoint an authorised representative.
- Amazon.de says Pan-European FBA needs the same SKU in the German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch stores, plus Belgium from 26 February 2027, and a VAT number in each country where stock is stored.
Marketplaces in Germany
Amazon.de- Amazon.fr
- Amazon.it
- Amazon.es
- Amazon.nl
Not tax or legal advice. This page summarises German and EU VAT, packaging and product safety rules as published by the European Commission, German tax and environment authorities, ZSVR and Amazon, accessed 24 October 2026. Your obligations depend on your entity, where stock is held and who you sell to, so confirm them with a German tax adviser before you register or file.
Profit and loss per period, line by line
Read the Zonkeepers case study ↗What do you need before you sell on Amazon.de?
Amazon.de's Professional plan costs €39 a month excluding VAT, and referral fees mostly run from 8% to 15%. The work is registration.
| Requirement | Who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| German VAT number | Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt registers US companies; the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) issues the VAT ID | Before stock is stored in Germany |
| LUCID registration and system contract | ZSVR and a packaging system operator | Before packaged goods reach German consumers |
| Packaging authorised representative | Appointed by you, named in LUCID | Since 12 August 2026, if you have no German branch |
| WEEE or battery registration | stiftung ear, through a German authorised representative if you have no German branch | Before selling electrical products or batteries |
| EU responsible person | Appointed by you, shown on product and listing | Since 13 December 2024, for most non-food products |
Do you need a German VAT number to sell on Amazon.de?
Yes, if your stock sits in a German fulfillment center: Amazon needs a VAT number for every storage country. Germany's standard rate is 19% and the reduced rate is 7%.
US companies register with Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt and name a German receiving agent when they apply. An advance return is then due for each month or quarter by the 10th of the month after it ends, even with no sales, plus an annual return.
Where Amazon is not the deemed supplier, as on B2B orders, section 22f of the VAT Act makes it record your BZSt-issued VAT ID for goods shipped from or to Germany, and section 25e makes it liable for your unpaid VAT unless that ID was valid at the time of sale and it had no reason to doubt you.
Who collects the VAT, and where do OSS and IOSS fit?
- Amazon, for non-EU brands. Since 1 July 2021, Amazon, as the deemed supplier, collects VAT at checkout on B2C orders shipped from EU stock for sellers not established in the EU.
- OSS. Since 1 July 2021, intra-EU distance sales above an EU-wide €10,000 threshold are taxed in the customer's country and can go in one quarterly OSS return. Only sellers established in one EU country get the threshold.
- IOSS. Covers imported consignments up to €150; Amazon collects it for non-EU sellers shipping from outside the EU.
- The €3 customs duty. Since 1 July 2026, the EU's duty-free treatment of imports worth €150 or less has ended. Until 1 July 2028, every B2C consignment of that size pays a temporary €3 customs duty per item, under IOSS or any other VAT scheme, and current IT systems charge it per declaration line (European Commission, Access2Markets, June 30, 2026, checked October 24, 2026). It hits sellers who ship each order from outside the EU; on our reading, stock imported in bulk into German fulfillment centers pays normal import duty instead.
None of these replaces your German registration: the Commission's explanatory notes say a non-EU seller with stock in a member state must register for VAT there, even when a marketplace collects the VAT. Once orders ship, our VAT invoice decision table shows who issues the invoice for each kind of order.
What EPR and product safety registrations does Germany require?
Packaging. Since 1 July 2022, every business that first puts packaged goods on the German market must be registered in the free LUCID Packaging Register. Marketplaces must now verify that registration and your self-certification of EPR compliance, or stop offering the goods. Shipping packaging, including boxes, tape and fill, always needs a system operator contract and volume reports by material. Amazon asks for your 13-digit LUCID number.
The August 2026 change. Since 12 August 2026, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and Germany's VerpackDG apply. A company with no German branch selling packaged goods directly to German end users must appoint an authorised representative for the system contract and reports. The representative takes over the system contract, volume reports and declarations, but LUCID registration, and any change to it, stays with you, and the representative has to be appointed and entered in LUCID before your goods first go on sale in Germany (ZSVR, checked October 24, 2026). ZSVR also says that a company whose own name or brand is on the packaging counts as its manufacturer and, under that brand rule, its producer, so a private-label brand should not assume its factory covers the packaging duties.
Electronics and batteries are registered with stiftung ear under the ElektroG and the battery law (BattDG). Without a German branch, both require you to appoint a German authorised representative.
Product safety. Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation requires an EU-based responsible operator for each product. Amazon's EU stores need that person and the manufacturer's details on the listing, with warnings in the local language, or the listing can be removed. To track the manufacturer, responsible person and warning text for every EU listing, see our GPSR listing tracker.
Should you use Pan-European FBA or store stock in Germany only?
With stock only in Germany, orders from other EU stores ship cross-border at European Fulfillment Network (EFN) fees. Pan-European FBA lets Amazon move stock between countries at no transfer cost so orders ship at local fees. Amazon.de requires:
- The same SKU listed in the German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch stores. Belgium is added on 26 February 2027.
- Storage enabled in at least two of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, each needing its own VAT number.
Amazon puts the best case at up to 53% lower shipping fees than EFN. Since 17 April 2026, a 1.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applies to FBA shipping fees in the UK and all nine Pan-EU stores. Each storage country adds VAT filings and a stock level to monitor.
Which 2026 Amazon fee changes affect a low-price SKU on Amazon.de?
Amazon calls its 2026 European changes one of its largest-ever fee reductions, an average of €0.17 less per unit sold, and several of the cuts are aimed at items priced at €20 or less (Amazon.de pricing, checked October 24, 2026). Rerun the margin on cheap SKUs before you decide which ones to launch in Germany:
| Change | Applies to | From |
|---|---|---|
| FBA parcel fees cut by an average of €0.32 | Parcels in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain stores | 15 December 2025 |
| Clothing and Accessories referral fee 8% to 5% (up to €15) and 15% to 10% (€15 to €20) | All European stores | 15 December 2025 |
| Home Products (new category) referral fee 15% to 8% | Items up to €20, all European stores | 5 January 2026 |
| Pet Clothing and Food 15% to 5%; Grocery and Gourmet and Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements 8% to 5% | Items up to €10, all European stores | 5 January 2026 |
| Low-price FBA rates extended to items up to €20, with FBA fees on newly eligible items cut by an average of €0.45 | Most categories; eligible items qualify automatically, no enrolment | 5 January 2026 |
| 1.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on FBA shipping fees | UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium | 17 April 2026 |
The cuts and the surcharge work in opposite directions, and the €0.17, €0.32 and €0.45 figures are Amazon's averages, not your rate. Your own fee preview, per SKU and store, is the number to use.
Do your Amazon.de listings need to be in German?
In practice, yes. Amazon's Build International Listings tool machine-translates titles and bullets, but Amazon warns the output can miss local search terms and suggests a translator who knows Amazon listings for the full listing, A+ Content included. The GPSR makes German mandatory for safety warnings.
What does Growth OS automate for a German launch?
Growth OS runs on your own Amazon accounts. Items 1 to 4 are base modules; 5 and 6 are custom, scoped for an EU launch.
- German listings. AI agents draft German titles, bullets and attributes from local keyword research and publish once a reviewer approves, as in Grow8.
- Pan-EU stock. Checks each SKU is live in every required store, plans inbound replenishment for the EU pool and tracks where Amazon places stock by country.
- Margin per country. Syncs prices per store and reports contribution margin per SKU and country, fuel surcharge and VAT included.
- Transfer checks. Flags units moved between EU fulfillment centers that never arrive, for reimbursement review.
- Custom: compliance register. LUCID, stiftung ear, responsible person and German safety text per SKU, holding back any listing with a gap.
- Custom: filing inputs, not filings. Per-country transaction exports for your tax adviser and packaging weights by material for LUCID reports, as in our packaging EPR data tracker.
The multi-marketplace core is the kind we built for Seller7. We add custom software and AI agents. You keep your accounts, your data and the custom code we build; the Growth OS base is licensed to you.
Where should you start?
Before you register, find where a second region would leak revenue. The free Quick Scan in the Ops Gap Diagnostic finds your top three Amazon operations gaps from uploaded reports; the Deep Diagnostic, priced on request, covers every gap plus marketplace and country opportunities such as Germany and Pan-EU. To see the base system first, look at Growth OS.
A German launch also adds desk work: LUCID, stiftung ear and responsible-person numbers kept per SKU, German safety text checked before a listing goes live, fee and surcharge changes rerun against every SKU's margin, and per-country exports for your tax adviser each month. If your team does that by hand, send us the workflow and a person replies within 2 business days with a written plan: what to automate, what stays with your team, and a fixed price.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell on Amazon Germany if I am not VAT registered?
Not with FBA stock in Germany. Amazon asks for a VAT number in each country where your goods are stored. On B2B orders and other sales where Amazon is not the deemed supplier, German law also makes marketplaces record your VAT ID for goods shipped from or to Germany. If you ship from outside the EU instead, orders worth up to EUR 150 can run through the Import One Stop Shop, where Amazon collects the VAT for non-EU sellers.
How do I register for VAT in Germany?
US companies register with Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt, the central tax office for businesses resident in the United States. You send the non-resident registration form with an IRS residence certificate (Form 6166), formation documents and the director's ID. Sellers based outside the EU and EEA must also name a receiving agent in Germany (Empfangsbevollmächtigter) when they apply, under section 22f of the VAT Act. The VAT ID that marketplaces record is issued by the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt). Advance returns then follow for each month or quarter, due by the 10th of the month after the period ends.
Do I need a LUCID number to sell on Amazon.de?
Yes, if you ship packaged goods to German consumers. LUCID registration is free, shipping packaging also needs a contract with a system operator, and Amazon asks for your 13-digit LUCID number in its EPR portal. Since 12 August 2026, sellers with no German branch must also appoint an authorised representative.
Do I need Pan-European FBA to sell in Germany?
No. You can store stock in Germany only and serve other EU stores cross-border at European Fulfillment Network fees. Pan-European FBA lets Amazon spread stock across the countries you enable so orders ship at local fees, but Amazon.de requires the same SKU in the German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch stores (Belgium too from 26 February 2027) and a VAT number in every storage country.
Do Amazon.de listings have to be in German?
Amazon's Build International Listings tool can machine-translate titles and bullet points as a starting point, but Amazon itself warns the output can miss local search terms. Under the GPSR, safety information and warnings must be in the language of the country of sale, so those parts have to be in German.
Does the EUR 3 EU customs duty apply to my Amazon.de sales?
Only to orders you ship into the EU from outside it. Since 1 July 2026, every B2C consignment worth EUR 150 or less imported from a third country pays a temporary EUR 3 duty per item, until 1 July 2028, under IOSS or any other VAT scheme; in practice it is charged per customs declaration line. Stock you import in bulk into German fulfillment centers and then sell through FBA is not a distance sale of imported goods, so on our reading it pays normal import duty instead.
Does Growth OS file my German VAT returns?
No. Filing and tax advice stay with your German tax adviser. Growth OS reporting gives a P&L per order, SKU, channel and country, and where an EU launch needs more, we scope custom modules on top, such as per-country transaction exports for your adviser, packaging weights by material for LUCID reports, or compliance numbers kept against each SKU.
