Amazon.de is the largest marketplace in the European Union and the second-largest Amazon marketplace in the world. For a brand that already runs profitably on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, Germany is usually the biggest single growth step available. It is also where most foreign brands lose a year to avoidable mistakes. This is the order of operations we use.
1. Decide the structure before the first unit ships
Three questions decide everything else:
- Where will inventory sit? FBA in Germany gives Prime delivery and the best conversion. It also triggers German VAT registration.
- Which entity sells? Your existing company can sell on Amazon.de; it needs a German VAT number and, since 2021, Amazon collects and remits VAT for non-EU sellers in many cases, but registration remains your duty.
- Who is the importer? Non-EU goods need an importer of record and an EU-based responsible person for product safety (GPSR) and, for some categories, an EU authorised representative.
Get a tax adviser who knows marketplace trade. We coordinate with yours; we do not replace them.
2. Register for the German obligations
- VAT (Umsatzsteuer) in Germany if goods are stored there; OSS for cross-border sales within the EU from one country.
- Packaging act (VerpackG): registration with LUCID and a licence with a dual system before the first sale. Amazon blocks listings without a LUCID number.
- EPR for electronics (WEEE) and batteries if applicable; textiles and furniture have schemes in France, not Germany, but matter under Pan-EU.
- GPSR product safety information on the listing: manufacturer, EU responsible person, warnings.
3. Write German listings, do not translate
German shoppers search with compound nouns, umlauts and precise product terms. Keyword research has to be done in German from Amazon.de data. Titles are shorter than US titles, bullets are more factual, and claims that are normal in the US (best, number one, clinically proven) can be unlawful in Germany under competition law. Native copywriters, not translators.
4. Price for Germany
Include VAT (19%) in the shelf price, account for higher return rates in some categories (apparel, electronics) and check the price position against German competitors, who are often cheaper than US brands expect.
5. Advertise per marketplace
Do not copy campaigns from Amazon.com. CPCs are lower on Amazon.de in most categories, search volumes are smaller, and brand terms need separate campaigns from day one because German competitors bid on new brands quickly. Start with exact campaigns on the keywords that converted in your home market after German research confirms them, and let auto campaigns discover the rest.
6. Expand with Pan-EU
Once Amazon.de runs profitably, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands follow with the same structure. Pan-EU FBA places inventory across countries for local delivery fees; each country where goods are stored needs its own VAT registration. Many brands run the European Fulfilment Network first and move to Pan-EU at volume.
Typical timeline
Structure and registrations: four to eight weeks. Listings and first inventory: two to four weeks in parallel. First profitable month: usually month three to five, depending on category competition. Brands that skip step one typically lose that time twice.
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