By Operator One Editorial, 5 October 2026
Amazon gives sellers in the EU six ways to fulfil orders: local FBA, the European Fulfilment Network (EFN), Multi-Country Inventory (MCI), Pan-European FBA, Fulfilment by Merchant (FBM) and Prime on seller-fulfilled offers, known as Seller Fulfilled Prime. Pan-European FBA charges the local fee in the countries enabled for storage and EFN fees in the rest, and Amazon states it needs a VAT number in each country where stock is stored. FBM is the better choice for special-oversize goods, slow movers and stock shared with other sales channels.
Key takeaways
- On Amazon's EU rate card effective 1 July 2026, a standard parcel up to 900 g costs EUR 3.44 to fulfil on Amazon.de (EUR 3.18 inside the Central Europe Programme), EUR 6.01 on Amazon.fr and EUR 5.15 on Amazon.it.
- Through the European Fulfilment Network the same 900 g parcel costs EUR 9.19 to EUR 9.45 per unit, the gap Pan-European FBA closes.
- Pan-European FBA requires the same SKU on Amazon in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands (mandatory since 3 September 2026; Belgium follows on 26 February 2027) and storage in at least two of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland.
- Special oversize (over 31.5 kg, longest side over 175 cm or girth over 360 cm) has FBA rates only in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and only as domestic FBA.
- EU monthly storage for standard-size goods is EUR 27.54 per cubic metre from January to September and EUR 52.20 from October to December.
- Since 17 April 2026 a 1.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applies to FBA fulfilment fees in all of Amazon's EU stores.
- Amazon's German Seller Fulfilled Prime page requires an on-time delivery rate of at least 90%, valid tracking for at least 99% of shipments and a cancellation rate of 0.5% or less.
Amazon's EU fulfilment options at a glance
Amazon's rate card names three cross-border FBA routes (Pan-European FBA, EFN and MCI) on top of single-country FBA; FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime keep the warehouse with the seller.
- Local FBA: stock sits with Amazon in one EU country; orders in that store pay the local fee.
- EFN: stock stays in one country; Amazon ships orders from other EU stores at a cross-border fee.
- MCI: the seller places stock in chosen countries and manages the split itself.
- Pan-European FBA: Amazon moves stock between countries to match demand and charges the local fee in each country enabled for storage.
- FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime: the seller or its logistics partner stores and ships; with Prime, the offer carries the badge if Amazon's delivery targets are met.
Since 1 January 2021 the UK has sat outside the EU fulfilment network: UK stock is held separately and orders between the UK and the EU run through a separate Remote Fulfilment with FBA programme, so this guide covers the EU stores only.
FBA fulfilment fees in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium
Amazon's European FBA rate card effective 1 July 2026 charges a flat fee per unit, set by the store where the item is sold, its size tier and its shipping weight. The same table applies to local FBA, MCI and Pan-European FBA.
| Size tier (shipping weight) | DE in CEP | DE only | FR | IT | ES | NL | BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard envelope (up to 210 g) | EUR 2.31 | EUR 2.57 | EUR 3.33 | EUR 3.45 | EUR 3.26 | EUR 2.51 | EUR 2.47 |
| Small parcel (up to 400 g) | EUR 3.13 | EUR 3.39 | EUR 5.07 | EUR 4.54 | EUR 3.74 | EUR 3.51 | EUR 3.67 |
| Standard parcel (up to 900 g) | EUR 3.18 | EUR 3.44 | EUR 6.01 | EUR 5.15 | EUR 3.99 | EUR 4.39 | EUR 4.39 |
| Standard parcel (up to 2.9 kg) | EUR 4.29 | EUR 4.55 | EUR 7.08 | EUR 5.30 | EUR 4.98 | EUR 4.82 | EUR 6.27 |
| Small oversize (up to 760 g) | EUR 4.30 | EUR 4.56 | EUR 7.05 | EUR 7.21 | EUR 5.68 | EUR 7.02 | EUR 6.63 |
| Heavy oversize (up to 31.5 kg) | EUR 12.74 | EUR 13.00 | EUR 15.59 | EUR 16.85 | EUR 14.00 | EUR 16.22 | EUR 15.47 |
| Special oversize (up to 30 kg) | No rate | EUR 21.30 | EUR 24.88 | EUR 21.70 | EUR 19.93 | No rate | No rate |
Source: Amazon European FBA Rate Card, standard FBA fees per unit sold, effective 1 July 2026, as of October 2026. A note on the card adds a 1.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to fulfilment fees from 17 April 2026.
- Parcels and oversize items are billed on the greater of unit weight and dimensional weight (length x width x height in cm, divided by 5,000); envelopes, special oversize and Low-Price FBA on unit weight.
- German stock outside the Central Europe Programme pays EUR 0.26 more per unit shipped from German fulfilment centres.
- Products with lithium batteries or dangerous goods add EUR 0.10 per unit.
- Low-Price FBA rates cover products priced at EUR 20 or less including VAT in most categories (EUR 11 in Germany and EUR 12 in the other euro stores for categories such as beauty, grocery and books).
- Amazon.ie fees are promotional: 50% below standard for domestic and Pan-EU orders and 45% below on average for EFN orders.
Festive peak fees outside apparel run from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027. For local orders in the EU they apply only on Amazon.de, where a 900 g standard parcel rises from EUR 3.44 to EUR 3.66 (EUR 3.18 to EUR 3.40 in CEP); EFN orders also carry peak rates, EUR 9.82 instead of EUR 9.19 for the same parcel. For the full Amazon.de launch checklist, see our guide to selling on Amazon Germany.
European Fulfilment Network: one stock pool, cross-border fees
The European Fulfilment Network lets a seller with an EU account store inventory in one country and fulfil orders from other EU stores, paying a cross-border fee on those orders. On the rate card a standard envelope up to 210 g costs EUR 5.50 to EUR 5.76 through EFN against EUR 2.57 locally in Germany, and a 900 g standard parcel EUR 9.19 to EUR 9.45 against EUR 3.44 in Germany or EUR 6.01 in France. In return, Amazon's Pan-European page states that with EFN "a VAT number is generally not required in the destination shop", which makes EFN the usual way to test a new store.
Multi-Country Inventory: you choose the warehouses
Multi-Country Inventory lets a seller send stock directly to Amazon fulfilment centres in other marketplaces, paying local fees where stock is held and cross-border fees elsewhere. The seller handles placement and demand forecasting itself, and Amazon's rate card notes that Amazon.nl does not take part in MCI.
Pan-European FBA: local fees where stock is enabled, VAT in every storage country
Pan-European FBA stores stock in the EU countries a seller enables and charges the local fulfilment fee in those countries, with cross-border EFN fees in the remaining EU stores. Storage can be enabled in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, and through the Central Europe Programme German stock can also sit in the Czech Republic. Amazon redistributes the stock at no additional cost.
Amazon's Pan-European FBA page states that "a VAT number is required for each country where goods are stored", and the rate card advises sellers to seek professional advice on those obligations. Plan the VAT set-up before enabling a country, not after stock arrives.
How to enrol in Pan-European FBA
- Add your products to FBA. Create an Amazon selling partner account and add the products to Fulfilment by Amazon.
- List the same SKU in every required store. List each product with the same SKU on Amazon in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands; from 26 February 2027 Belgium is also required.
- Enable storage in at least two countries. Choose at least two of Germany, France, Italy, Spain or Poland; enable Germany to get local fees for Sweden and the Netherlands, and Germany or France for Belgium.
- Meet product and VAT requirements. Check Pan-European product eligibility and VAT compliance; Amazon states a VAT number is required for each country where goods are stored.
- Send stock to an EU fulfilment centre. Ship inventory into one EU fulfilment centre; Amazon then distributes it across the enabled countries.
Two Pan-EU charges sit on top of the fulfilment fee. The Pan-EU oversize surcharge applies when oversize stock is sent in to a different country from the one where it sells, measured as fewer units received than sold in that country over both the last 150 and the last 30 days; in Germany it starts at EUR 1.64 per unit for small oversize and reaches EUR 5.50 for heavy oversize (EUR 3.70 in France, EUR 4.20 in Italy, EUR 3.20 in Spain). The low-inventory cost coverage fee of EUR 0.16 to EUR 0.67 per unit applies to standard-size Pan-EU products in Germany, France, Italy and Spain when both 90-day and 30-day cover fall below 28 days of supply; it does not apply in the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium or Ireland.
Central Europe Programme: Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic
The Central Europe Programme lets Amazon store a seller's German FBA inventory in Poland and the Czech Republic, which Amazon says saves at least EUR 0.26 per unit at no extra charge. Amazon's CEP page also states that storage in Poland and the Czech Republic "triggers additional VAT obligations" and reporting such as Intrastat, and that some categories are excluded.
Storage, returns and removal fees in the EU
FBA storage in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and Ireland is charged in euros per cubic metre per month on daily average volume, and for standard-size goods it nearly doubles from October to December.
| Product type | January to September | October to December |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-size, most categories | EUR 27.54 | EUR 52.20 |
| Standard-size clothing, eyewear, footwear, rucksacks, handbags | EUR 19.99 | EUR 29.23 |
| Oversize | EUR 21.78 | EUR 34.49 |
| Dangerous goods, standard-size | EUR 30.00 | EUR 50.51 |
| Dangerous goods, oversize | EUR 27.50 | EUR 43.89 |
Source: Amazon European FBA Rate Card, monthly storage fees per cubic metre, effective 1 July 2026, as of October 2026.
- Aged inventory surcharge: in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Ireland, stock held over 241 days pays an extra EUR 47.99 per cubic metre per month, rising to EUR 135.98 at 331 to 365 days, with higher rates after a year.
- Storage utilisation surcharge: in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, a storage ratio above 22 weeks adds EUR 14.85 to EUR 76.87 per cubic metre for standard-size goods; sellers in their first 52 weeks are exempt.
- Returns processing fee: for each return above a category's return-rate threshold, a 900 g standard parcel costs EUR 3.76 in Germany, EUR 4.22 in France, EUR 5.12 in Italy and EUR 3.84 in Spain; in clothing and shoes it is 50% of the fulfilment fee.
- Removal and disposal: returning a standard-size unit to the seller costs EUR 0.50 up to 200 g and EUR 1.80 at 501 g to 1 kg; disposal costs EUR 0.74 and EUR 2.73.
- Inbound placement: the EU rate card lists no inbound placement fee.
Heavy and bulky goods: domestic FBA in four EU stores, or FBM
Heavy and bulky products can use FBA in the EU, but only country by country. Amazon's Heavy and Bulky programme covers Germany, France, Italy and Spain, for items of at least 31.5 kg or 175 cm in length, up to 150 kg in Germany, 300 kg in France, 140 kg in Italy and 120 kg in Spain.
The rate card prices special oversize only in those four stores, with no CEP or EFN rate and no Pan-EU oversize surcharge, and the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland and Ireland have no special-oversize rate at all. Amazon's 2021 Heavy and Bulky announcement states that Pan-European FBA and the European Fulfilment Network "are currently unavailable for FBA Heavy and Bulky". A 60 kg item costs EUR 51.99 to fulfil in Germany, EUR 50.54 in France, EUR 32.82 in Italy and EUR 36.93 in Spain, and serving all four stores means four separate inbound shipments.
Multi-Channel Fulfilment: Amazon stock for your other channels
Multi-Channel Fulfilment ships orders from a brand's webshop and other sales channels out of FBA inventory. Amazon's German MCF page offers express delivery in 1 to 2 business days or standard delivery in 2 to 3 business days, in neutral packaging without Amazon branding.
FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime
With FBM the seller stores and ships Amazon orders itself or through a logistics partner, pays no FBA fulfilment or storage fees and still pays Amazon's referral fee, which the rate card puts between 8% and 15% for most categories. Amazon's selling plan costs EUR 39 per month excluding VAT.
Prime on seller-fulfilled offers is shaped by Amazon's commitments to the European Commission, made binding on 20 December 2022: non-discriminatory Prime criteria and free choice of carrier for Prime sellers, for seven years. The Prime commitments exclude Italy, where the Italian competition authority imposed its own remedies on 30 November 2021.
Amazon's August 2024 Prime update for Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands gave the fastest 85% of Prime-eligible offers in each store the badge if they delivered in 4 days or less in Germany and France and 5 days or less in Spain, and set a 92% minimum on-time delivery rate from 1 October 2024. The badge rule covered FBA offers too, so a fast FBM operation competes on equal terms. Amazon's current German Seller Fulfilled Prime page lists an on-time delivery rate of at least 90%, valid tracking for at least 99% of shipments and a cancellation rate of 0.5% or less, after a trial period.
FBA, Pan-EU, EFN, FBM and SFP compared
| Option | Who stores | Who ships | Prime badge | Cross-border sales | VAT footprint (per Amazon) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local FBA | Amazon, one country | Amazon | Yes, in that store | Only via EFN fees | Storage country | Testing one store |
| EFN | Amazon, one country | Amazon | Depends on delivery speed | Yes, EUR 9.19 to EUR 9.45 for a 900 g parcel | Generally none in the destination store | Low cross-border volume |
| Pan-European FBA | Amazon, in DE, FR, IT, ES, PL (and CZ via CEP) | Amazon | Yes, with local delivery | Local fee in enabled countries, EFN fee elsewhere | A VAT number in each storage country | Fast-moving standard-size goods |
| FBM | Seller or its logistics partner | Seller | No | Seller's own carriers | Where the seller holds stock | Bulky, slow-moving, regulated or shared stock |
| Seller Fulfilled Prime | Seller or its logistics partner | Seller, any carrier | Yes, if targets are met | Rules set per store | Where the seller holds stock | Fast FBM operations |
Source: Amazon European FBA Rate Card effective 1 July 2026, Amazon's Pan-European FBA page and Amazon's August 2024 Prime update, as of October 2026.
When FBM wins and when FBA wins
FBM wins when Amazon's fee structure punishes the product; FBA wins when speed and the Prime badge drive conversion. FBM tends to win for:
- Special-oversize goods, which FBA cannot serve in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland or Ireland and serves elsewhere only from four national stock pools.
- Slow movers, which pay EUR 52.20 per cubic metre in the fourth quarter and the aged surcharge after 241 days.
- Stock shared with other channels, where one warehouse avoids splitting inventory.
- Regulated or dangerous goods, which pay higher storage, a EUR 0.10 per-unit supplement and may face FBA restrictions.
FBA tends to win for small, fast-moving standard-size products on Amazon Germany, where a 900 g parcel costs EUR 3.18 to EUR 3.44 to fulfil, and for brands selling across the large EU stores at volume, where Pan-EU's local fees beat EFN.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Pan-European FBA and EFN?
Pan-European FBA stores your stock in the EU countries you enable and charges the local fulfilment fee there, while EFN keeps stock in one country and charges a cross-border fee. On Amazon's July 2026 rate card a 900 g standard parcel costs EUR 3.44 locally in Germany but EUR 9.19 to EUR 9.45 through EFN.
Do I need a VAT number in every country for Pan-European FBA?
Amazon states that a VAT number is required for each country where goods are stored, and Pan-EU requires storage in at least two countries. EFN generally needs no VAT number in the destination store. Check your own position with a tax adviser.
Can heavy or bulky products use FBA in Europe?
Yes. FBA Heavy and Bulky covers Germany, France, Italy and Spain, for items of at least 31.5 kg, 175 cm in length or 360 cm in girth, up to 150 kg in Germany, 300 kg in France, 140 kg in Italy and 120 kg in Spain. They are fulfilled domestically in each store, because Pan-European FBA and EFN do not carry them.
Is Seller Fulfilled Prime available in Europe in 2026?
Prime on seller-fulfilled offers runs in Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands, where Amazon's commitments to the European Commission let sellers use any carrier. Amazon's German Seller Fulfilled Prime page lists an on-time delivery rate of at least 90%, valid tracking for 99% of shipments and a cancellation rate of 0.5% or less. Italy is outside those commitments.
Does Amazon charge an inbound placement fee in Europe?
Not according to its EU rate card. Amazon's EU FBA rate card effective 1 July 2026 lists fulfilment, storage, Pan-EU, returns and removal fees, but no inbound placement fee.
How Operator One handles Amazon fulfilment for brands
Operator One runs both models on Amazon for brands as the legal seller, the Merchant of Record, across 100+ marketplaces in 28 countries. Brands consign stock, and the fulfilment model is set product by product.
- FBM: Operator One ships from its own fulfilment centres in Germany and the Netherlands, which suits bulky goods, slow movers and stock shared with other marketplaces.
- Amazon logistics: other products go into Amazon's FBA network.
- VAT: Operator One files OSS and IOSS plus local registrations where it holds stock.
For the advertising side, see our Amazon advertising guide for Europe. To plan the right mix for your range, book a call with Operator One.