By Operator One Editorial, 14 June 2026, updated 5 October 2026
To sell on Amazon Germany, open a Professional account in Amazon's European Seller Central (EUR 39 a month excluding VAT), register for German VAT if your stock will sit in Germany, register your packaging, electrical equipment and batteries with the German EPR registers, and choose between FBA from German fulfilment centres, Pan-European FBA or your own fulfilment. Germany is Amazon's largest country by net sales outside the United States, Amazon.de is a Pan-European FBA storage country, and it is one of only four EU stores with a special-oversize FBA tier, so it is usually the first EU store a brand opens and one with strict compliance checks.
Key takeaways
- Amazon reported USD 45.9 billion of 2025 net sales attributed to Germany, more than any country except the United States, which makes Amazon Germany its largest market in the EU.
- The Professional selling plan on Amazon.de costs EUR 39 a month excluding VAT; the Individual plan costs EUR 0.99 per unit sold.
- Amazon.de referral fees are 7% for consumer electronics, computers and large appliances and 15% for kitchen products, with a EUR 0.30 minimum per item.
- On Amazon Germany, FBA for a standard parcel up to 900 g costs EUR 3.44, or EUR 3.18 with the Central Europe Programme, under the rate card effective 1 July 2026.
- Amazon Germany has a special-oversize FBA tier (EUR 21.30 up to 30 kg) and FBA Heavy and Bulky takes items up to 150 kg.
- For Amazon Germany sellers, packaging EPR has run since 12 August 2026 under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and the VerpackDG, and foreign producers selling packaged goods directly to German consumers must appoint an authorised representative.
- Sales on Amazon Germany carry 19% standard VAT (7% reduced), and section 22f of the German VAT Act requires Amazon to record each seller's VAT identification number.
Amazon Germany at a glance
| Item | Amazon Germany |
|---|---|
| Store domain | amazon.de |
| Launch | Store opened 15 October 1998; Marketplace for third-party sellers launched 20 March 2002 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Listing language | German |
| Professional selling plan | EUR 39 per month, excluding VAT |
| Referral fee examples | Consumer electronics 7%; large appliances 7%; kitchen 15%; furniture 15% up to EUR 200 and 10% above (EUR 0.30 minimum) |
| FBA | Yes; Germany is a Pan-European FBA storage country, with CEP storage in Poland and the Czech Republic |
| Special-oversize FBA tier | Yes (from EUR 21.30 up to 30 kg) |
| Standard VAT rate | 19% (reduced rate 7%) |
| Packaging, WEEE and battery EPR | LUCID (VerpackDG and PPWR); stiftung ear for ElektroG; stiftung ear and an approved OfH for batteries (BattDG) |
Sources: Amazon.de selling fees, Amazon European FBA rate card effective 1 July 2026, Amazon Pan-European FBA, section 12 UStG, Amazon press releases of 20 March 2002 and 15 October 2018. As of October 2026.
How to start selling on Amazon Germany
- Register the business and German VAT. Sellers based in Germany file a trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung) first; a seller storing stock in Germany registers for German VAT, and Amazon must record the German VAT ID under section 22f UStG.
- Open a Professional Seller Central account. Have a passport or ID card, a business register extract, a bank statement and a credit card ready; identity verification usually takes three business days or less.
- Register every EPR stream before listing. Packaging needs LUCID registration under the VerpackDG, electrical equipment and batteries go to stiftung ear, and producers without a German establishment appoint a German authorised representative.
- Name an EU responsible person under the GPSR. Put the manufacturer and, for non-EU manufacturers, the responsible person's name and address on the product and in the listing.
- Choose the fulfilment model. Start with FBA from German fulfilment centres (with or without CEP), add Pan-European FBA once VAT and EPR are in place elsewhere, or ship yourself.
- List in German and launch advertising. Enrol in Brand Registry, publish native German listings and start Sponsored Products before adding Sponsored Brands and display ads.
Why Amazon Germany is the first EU store for most brands
Germany is Amazon's largest country outside the United States: Amazon's 2025 annual report attributes USD 45.9 billion of net sales to Germany, against USD 43.2 billion for the United Kingdom and USD 30.7 billion for Japan, and Germany is the only EU member state Amazon reports separately. The supply side is crowded too. Amazon says around 47,000 small and medium-sized businesses based in Germany sold on Amazon in 2024 and exported EUR 5.7 billion through its stores, so a new brand on Amazon.de competes with a large domestic seller base as well as with cross-border sellers and Amazon's own retail offers.
Opening a Seller Central account for Amazon.de
One European Seller Central account covers Amazon.de and the other EU stores (FR, IT, ES, NL, SE, PL, BE and IE) under one login, and you do not need a German legal entity to sell on Amazon.de. Amazon's German registration guide asks you to choose the country where your business is registered and then verifies:
- The identity of the main contact, using a passport or ID card, plus proof of address such as a bank statement or utility bill.
- The business, using an official register extract that shows the company name, registration number, registered address, directors and current status; if the document is more than 180 days old, Amazon asks for a recent certificate of good standing or VAT registration instead.
- Bank account details and a credit card with CVV for the account fees.
- Where requested, a video call with an Amazon associate, using the same ID as at registration.
Amazon says registration can often be completed in a few hours and identity verification usually takes three business days or less. Mismatches between the company register, the bank account and the credit card are a common reason verification stalls, so align the legal name and address on all three before you start. Amazon recommends the Individual plan below 35 sales a month; at brand volumes the Professional plan is the realistic choice, because advertising and bulk listing tools need it.
German VAT: 19%, the VAT ID Amazon records, and the EUR 10,000 threshold
Germany's standard VAT rate is 19% and the reduced rate is 7%, under section 12 of the German VAT Act (UStG). Section 22f UStG requires Amazon, as a marketplace operator, to record for every sale shipped from or to Germany the seller's VAT identification number issued by the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, and sellers established outside the EU and EEA must name an authorised recipient in Germany (Empfangsbevollmächtigter) when they apply for German tax registration. Amazon's German registration guide adds that Amazon.de checks the VAT ID at account opening and that a missing number can delay or restrict the account.
The moment stock sits in a German fulfilment centre, your sales from that stock to German consumers are German domestic supplies, and you need a German VAT registration. For cross-border B2C sales from stock held in another member state, the EU rule is simple: a seller established in a single member state whose total intra-EU distance sales stay at or below EUR 10,000 (excluding VAT) in the current and previous calendar year charges its own country's VAT and declares it in its normal domestic return; above that threshold, German VAT applies to sales into Germany, and the seller declares it either through the One Stop Shop (OSS) or through a German registration. The European Commission states that OSS is optional, does not apply below the threshold, and does not replace the domestic VAT return.
German EPR in 2026: packaging, electrical equipment and batteries
Germany runs three separate EPR registers, and two of the underlying laws changed in the last 12 months. Our Germany EPR guide covers each one in depth; for an Amazon.de launch the essentials are:
- Packaging (LUCID). On 12 August 2026 the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 and the German Verpackungsrecht-Durchführungsgesetz (VerpackDG) replaced the Verpackungsgesetz. The Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister states that producers based abroad, who could previously appoint an authorised representative voluntarily, are now obliged to do so. The ZSVR confirms that the core duties for packaging that reaches consumers stay the same: registration in LUCID, participation in a dual system and quantity reporting.
- Electrical and electronic equipment (ElektroG). Producers register with stiftung ear, and foreign producers cannot register themselves: they need an authorised representative established in Germany. Section 6(2) ElektroG bars electronic marketplaces from offering, and fulfilment providers from storing or shipping, equipment of producers that are not registered.
- Batteries (BattDG). Germany's Batterierecht-Durchführungsgesetz entered into force on 7 October 2025, alongside the EU Battery Regulation. Battery registration with stiftung ear is required before batteries are made available, and every producer must join an approved producer responsibility organisation (OfH), whatever the battery category.
Under Article 45(4) of the PPWR, online platforms must also obtain each producer's packaging registration number and a self-certification before letting it sell to consumers. Each registration must be entered in Seller Central, and a missing or invalid number puts the affected listings at risk.
GPSR: the EU responsible person on Amazon.de
Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 has applied to consumer products sold on Amazon.de. Article 16 GPSR prohibits placing a product on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it, and that operator's name and contact details must appear on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. For online sales, Article 19 requires the listing to show the manufacturer's name and address, the responsible person's details where the manufacturer is outside the EU, product identification including a picture, and any warnings in a language consumers can easily understand. For non-EU brands and for UK brands after Brexit, the responsible person has to be in place before the first German listing goes live.
Fulfilment on Amazon.de: FBA, CEP, Pan-EU, special oversize and FBM
Amazon Germany is the reference point for European FBA pricing, and the July 2026 rate card makes it one of the cheapest EU stores to fulfil from. Every fee in the table below also carries a 1.5% fuel and logistics surcharge that Amazon has applied to FBA fulfilment fees since 17 April 2026.
| FBA size tier (rate card 1 July 2026) | Germany, in CEP | Germany only |
|---|---|---|
| Standard envelope up to 210 g | EUR 2.31 | EUR 2.57 |
| Standard parcel up to 900 g | EUR 3.18 | EUR 3.44 |
| Standard parcel up to 2.9 kg | EUR 4.29 | EUR 4.55 |
| Heavy oversize up to 31.5 kg | EUR 12.74 | EUR 13.00 |
| Special oversize up to 30 kg | No rate | EUR 21.30 |
| Special oversize up to 60 kg | No rate | EUR 51.99 |
Source: Amazon European FBA rate card, effective 1 July 2026, fulfilment fees per unit by store of sale. As of October 2026.
Four realistic models apply to Amazon.de:
- FBA Germany: stock sits in German fulfilment centres and serves Amazon.de at Prime speed. Joining the Central Europe Programme (CEP) lets Amazon also store German stock in Poland and the Czech Republic and saves at least EUR 0.26 per unit, but Amazon warns that storage in those countries triggers additional VAT and Intrastat obligations. Sales into other EU stores from German stock pay cross-border EFN fees.
- Pan-European FBA: Amazon stores your stock in at least two of the countries you enable among Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland and moves it at no extra cost. You pay local fees in the storage countries (and in Sweden and the Netherlands when Germany is enabled) and EFN fees elsewhere. Amazon states that a VAT number is required for each country where goods are stored, and EPR registrations follow per country and per stream. Since 3 September 2026 every Pan-EU product also needs an active Dutch listing.
- Special oversize and FBA Heavy and Bulky: Germany is one of only four EU stores (with France, Italy and Spain) with a special-oversize rate, for units above 31.5 kg, with a longest side over 175 cm or a girth over 360 cm. FBA Heavy and Bulky in Germany takes items up to 150 kg, but only as domestic FBA: Amazon's 2021 Heavy and Bulky announcement states that Pan-EU and EFN are unavailable for it.
- FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime: you ship from your own warehouse or a 3PL. Amazon's German Seller Fulfilled Prime page requires a trial period, 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.
Two seasonal and price rules matter on Amazon.de. The festive peak fee applies from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027 (excluding apparel), raising the German 900 g parcel fee from EUR 3.44 to EUR 3.66. Low-price FBA rates apply to products priced at EUR 20 or less including VAT in most categories, but in beauty, grocery, books and several other categories the German threshold is EUR 11, compared with EUR 12 in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. Our guide to Amazon fulfilment options in Europe sets out the full FBA, EFN and Pan-EU fee comparison.
Listing in German
German shoppers expect native-quality German in titles, bullets, A+ Content, brand store copy and customer-service replies. That includes correct umlauts, formal "Sie" in customer messaging and metric units. Safety warnings follow Article 19 GPSR and must be in a language German consumers can easily understand, which in practice means German. Amazon Ads translates Sponsored Brands and display ads on Amazon.de automatically into English, Turkish and Polish within 24 hours of going live, but it does not translate your product listings.
Advertising on Amazon.de
Organic ranking on Amazon.de depends heavily on sales velocity in the first weeks after launch, so most brands launch with paid search. Sponsored Products bids on Amazon.de run from EUR 0.02 to EUR 1,000 per click, the minimum daily budget is EUR 1, and Sponsored Brands campaigns with a lifetime budget need at least EUR 100 on Amazon.de. Sponsored Brands, display ads (formerly Sponsored Display) and brand stores require Brand Registry, which is free and accepts EUIPO trademarks. A typical sequence is Sponsored Products first, then Sponsored Brands once the brand store is live, then display ads for retargeting. Bids, budgets and attribution windows are in our Amazon advertising guide for Europe.
Returns on Amazon Germany
German consumers have a statutory withdrawal period of 14 days under section 355(2) of the German Civil Code (BGB). Return rates vary sharply by category, with apparel far above home and beauty, so plan landed margins on net-of-returns sales rather than gross sales. On FBA, products whose return rate exceeds their category threshold also pay a returns processing fee per returned unit above that threshold: EUR 3.76 for a 900 g standard parcel in Germany under the July 2026 rate card.
Account health and suspension risks on Amazon.de
Most Amazon.de account blocks trace back to a short list of causes, and most of them are avoidable before launch:
- A missing, invalid or expired LUCID, stiftung ear or battery registration against a live listing.
- A missing or unverifiable GPSR responsible person or manufacturer address.
- A mismatch between the VAT ID, the company register and the legal address in Seller Central.
- Inauthentic-product or safety complaints, including those routed through market surveillance authorities.
- Account linkage: two entities sharing a credit card, bank account or device.
- Late shipments, cancellations and order defects above Amazon's account health targets.
The Buy Box on Amazon.de weighs price, fulfilment method, delivery speed, stock levels and seller performance, and price pressure starts the moment a second seller lists against your ASIN, which is why Brand Registry is worth setting up before launch.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a German company to sell on Amazon Germany?
No. Amazon.de accepts businesses registered in other countries through the European Seller Central account, but a seller storing stock in Germany needs a German VAT registration, and sellers established outside the EU and EEA must name an authorised recipient in Germany when registering for German VAT.
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon.de?
The Professional plan on Amazon.de costs EUR 39 a month excluding VAT, plus a referral fee per sale of 7% for consumer electronics and 15% for kitchen products, with a EUR 0.30 minimum. FBA for a standard parcel up to 900 g costs EUR 3.44 in Germany under the rate card effective 1 July 2026.
Which EPR registrations does Amazon Germany check?
Amazon Germany needs your LUCID packaging registration under the VerpackDG and, where relevant, your stiftung ear registrations for electrical equipment and batteries. Section 6(2) ElektroG bars marketplaces from offering equipment of unregistered producers, and since 12 August 2026 the PPWR requires platforms to collect packaging registration numbers.
Can I sell heavy or bulky products through FBA in Germany?
Yes. Amazon Germany has a special-oversize FBA rate (EUR 21.30 up to 30 kg) and FBA Heavy and Bulky takes items up to 150 kg, but Amazon states that Pan-EU and EFN are not available for Heavy and Bulky stock.
What VAT rate applies to sales on Amazon.de?
Germany's standard VAT rate is 19% and the reduced rate is 7%. Sales from stock held in Germany are German domestic supplies, so FBA Germany requires a German VAT registration.
How Operator One runs Amazon Germany for brands
Operator One is a Merchant of Record: it acts as the legal seller on Amazon.de and on 100+ marketplaces in 28 countries, while the brand supplies the products on consignment and receives the revenue. Operator One files OSS and IOSS plus local VAT registrations where it holds stock and registers EPR per country and per stream, with a local authorised representative arranged where a market requires one; CE marking, the technical file and the EU Declaration of Conformity stay with the manufacturer. Operator One runs two fulfilment centres, in Germany and the Netherlands, and otherwise uses Amazon's logistics. Brands ranging from Dabur to mid-market apparel and consumer-electronics sellers run their Amazon Germany operation through us without taking on a German entity themselves. The Amazon Germany marketplace page summarises the channel; to discuss your range, talk to our team.