How to start selling in Germany is one of the most common questions for Dutch and Belgian e-commerce businesses looking to expand abroad. Germany is the largest e-commerce market in Europe and it sits right next door. For a Dutch or Belgian store, it is the most obvious place to grow: the same time zone, strong delivery networks, and customers who already buy online at scale.

It is also the market where many stores get stuck, and rarely for the reason they expect. The barrier is almost never demand. It is the paperwork, the packaging obligations, and the fact that German shoppers behave differently from Dutch ones once they reach your checkout.

This guide walks through the seven steps you actually need, from choosing how you enter the market to connecting your store. Follow them in this order, because some requirements, especially VAT and packaging compliance, need to be handled before you start selling.

Step 1: Decide how you enter the German market

There are two main routes into Germany, and they require very different levels of effort.

Own webshop

Your own webshop in German. You keep the customer relationship, your margins and your customer data. You also have to create all the demand yourself, which means building trust and brand awareness in a market where nobody knows you yet.

German marketplace

You enter an existing ecosystem where millions of buyers are already searching for products. You pay a commission per sale and compete according to the marketplace’s rules, but you avoid the challenge of creating traffic from zero.

Most stores that succeed in Germany start on a marketplace and build their own shop alongside it. The marketplace proves whether German customers actually want your products before you invest heavily in localisation, advertising and brand building.

If you are still choosing your route, our comparison of the German marketplaces covers which platforms fit different types of stores and products.

Step 2: Sort out your German VAT position

Selling from the Netherlands or Belgium to German consumers is covered by the EU distance selling rules.

The important threshold to understand is the EU-wide €10,000 threshold for cross-border B2C sales within the EU. Below this threshold, you generally continue charging your home country’s VAT rate. Once you exceed the threshold, you normally charge VAT based on the customer’s country.

For most businesses, the simplest way to handle this is through the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme. Instead of registering for VAT separately in every EU country where you have customers, you report these sales through one VAT return in your own country.

However, OSS does not cover every situation. If you store stock in Germany, for example through a German fulfilment centre or warehouse, you will generally need a German VAT registration regardless of your turnover.

Sort this out before your first German order rather than afterwards. Correcting VAT across borders can become complicated very quickly, so speak with your accountant or VAT adviser about the setup that fits your business.

Step 3: Register with LUCID before you ship packaged products to German customers

This is the requirement that catches almost every foreign seller out, and it is not optional.

Germany’s packaging law, the Verpackungsgesetz (VerpackG), makes businesses responsible for the packaging they place on the German market. This applies to foreign companies selling directly to German consumers as well.

That includes the packaging around your products, such as your shipping box, tape, filler material and product packaging.

You have to complete 2 steps.

How to Start Selling in Germany: Register with LUCID

you register in the LUCID Packaging Register operated by the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (ZSVR). Registration itself is free.

Second, you need to license your packaging with an approved dual system. These companies organise and finance the collection and recycling of packaging waste. The cost depends on the amount and type of packaging you place on the German market.

Important LUCID requirements for selling in Germany

details matter here. There is no minimum quantity. The obligation applies even if you only send a small number of parcels each year.

And since the packaging law was expanded in 2022, marketplaces are required to check whether sellers have fulfilled their packaging obligations. Without proper registration, selling packaged products through major marketplaces can become impossible.

No LUCID registration means no compliant way to sell packaged goods in Germany.

Step 4: Check the rules for your specific products

Packaging rules apply to almost every seller, but some product categories have additional obligations on top.

Electronics and electrical equipment fall under German WEEE rules and require separate registration. Batteries have their own requirements as well. Other categories, including textiles, cosmetics, food and toys, can have specific labelling and compliance obligations.

Depending on your products, additional Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules may apply.

Check your category before you start listing products rather than after a marketplace raises compliance issues or removes your listings.

If you are unsure what applies to your products, the Dutch government’s business information and the Dutch-German Chamber of Commerce both provide current guidance for companies expanding into Germany.

Step 5: Get your legal pages right

German consumer law is strict and, compared with many other European markets, it is actively enforced.

Competitors, consumer organisations and specialist law firms can send an Abmahnung (formal warning) if they believe your webshop does not comply with German requirements. These warnings can come with legal costs attached, which is why getting the basics right before launching is important.

3 things need particular attention.

Your Impressum

Your Impressum is a legally required page that identifies your business. It must include the required company information and contact details and should be easy for customers to find from every page of your webshop.

For German shoppers, this page is an important trust signal. They are used to checking company information before purchasing, especially when buying from a foreign webshop. Your Impressum should normally include details such as your business name, registered address, contact information and other legally required company details.

A missing or incomplete Impressum is one of the most common compliance mistakes made by foreign sellers entering Germany. Even small errors can create legal risks and may lead to an Abmahnung (formal warning).

Your Widerrufsbelehrung

Your Widerrufsbelehrung (right of withdrawal notice) explains the customer’s cancellation rights. German law requires specific information and wording, so copying a Dutch returns policy is not enough.

German consumers generally have a statutory right to withdraw from many online purchases within 14 days. Your withdrawal notice must clearly explain this right, including the cancellation period, the process for returning products and who is responsible for return costs.

A clear and correctly written Widerrufsbelehrung is not only a legal requirement but also helps build trust. German customers expect detailed information about returns before they place an order.

Your prices

Your prices also need to be displayed correctly. Consumer prices must include VAT where applicable, and customers must be clearly informed about shipping costs before completing their purchase.

German customers expect transparent pricing throughout the buying process. Hidden costs, unclear delivery fees or missing information about VAT can lead to abandoned checkouts and may create compliance issues.

Make sure your product pages clearly show the final price, available shipping options and any additional costs before the customer completes the order.

Have these pages checked by someone who understands German e-commerce law. It is a relatively small cost compared with dealing with a legal warning later.

Step 6: Localise properly, not just linguistically

Translating your product texts is the easy part. Selling successfully in Germany requires much more than replacing Dutch words with German ones.

German shoppers have different expectations when they reach your webshop.

Payment methodes are one of the biggest differences. Payment by invoice remains an important option for many German consumers, and services such as PayPal and Klarna are widely used. Dutch payment methods like iDEAL are not commonly used by German shoppers.

If your checkout only offers Dutch payment options, you may lose customers before they even place an order.

Delivery expectations differ as well. German customers often expect clear delivery information, reliable tracking and detailed return information.

The same applies to your product content. German buyers generally appreciate more detail, more specifications and clearer explanations than Dutch shoppers. A short, informal Dutch product description that works well at home can come across as incomplete or unprofessional in Germany.

And use a native speaker or professional translator wherever possible. Machine-translated German is easy to recognise, and in a market where trust is one of the biggest barriers, poor language quality can work against you.

Step 7: Connect your store and keep stock in sync

Once the legal groundwork is complete, the technical side is usually the easiest part. The ongoing challenge is keeping your products, orders and inventory synchronised across different sales channels.

If you sell on a German marketplace alongside your own webshop, you are managing multiple sales channels that must always show accurate stock levels.

Selling a product on a marketplace that you no longer have available is one of the fastest ways to damage your seller performance. Marketplace ratings and account health take time to build and can be difficult to recover.

That is where an integration helps.

Our free WooCommerce marketplace plugins publish products from your store to marketplaces including Kaufland and keep stock synchronised in both directions. A sale on one platform automatically updates inventory on the other, reducing manual work and preventing overselling.

There are no licence fees and no monthly costs, which makes it a practical option when you are testing whether the German market is the right fit for your business.

For Kaufland specifically, one of Germany’s larger marketplaces, our guide on selling on Kaufland explains the account setup and listing process in detail.

What order should you actually do this in?

If you want the short version:

First decide how you want to enter Germany. Then handle VAT and LUCID, because these are the areas that can legally prevent you from selling. After that, check your product-specific obligations, prepare your legal pages, localise your webshop and connect your sales channels.

The mistake many stores make is starting with step 6. They translate their webshop, prepare listings and get excited about launching, only to discover later that packaging registration or other compliance requirements are missing.

Doing the groundwork first may cost you a few weeks upfront, but it can save you from blocked listings, compliance problems and unnecessary costs later.

Looking for more WooCommerce plugins? Read our guide and discover which plugins best fit your webshop and help you grow your online business.

FAQ

Do I need to register with LUCID to sell in Germany?

Yes, if you place packaged products on the German market.

The Verpackungsgesetz applies regardless of the number of parcels you send, meaning there is no small seller exemption. Registration in the LUCID packaging register is free, but you also need to license your packaging with an approved dual system, which does involve a fee.

Do I need a German VAT number to sell in Germany?

Not always.

Many businesses selling from another EU country can handle German VAT through the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme once they exceed the EU-wide distance selling threshold.

However, if you store goods in Germany, for example in a fulfilment centre, you will generally need a German VAT registration.

What is an Impressum and do I need one?

An Impressum is a legally required page that identifies your business and provides important company information and contact details.

If you sell commercially to German consumers, your webshop normally needs an Impressum that is easy to access from every page.

Can I sell in Germany without translating my webshop?

Technically yes, but in practice it is difficult.

German customers strongly prefer buying in German and expect a shopping experience that feels local. This includes language, payment methods, delivery information and product details.

A webshop that looks like a translated foreign store will usually have a harder time building trust.

Is it better to sell on a German marketplace or through my own shop?

Both options have advantages.

Marketplaces give you access to an existing audience and are often the fastest way to test German demand. Your own webshop gives you more control over branding, customer relationships and margins, but requires more investment in marketing.

Many successful sellers use both: marketplaces to acquire customers and their own webshop to build a long-term brand.

How long does it take to start selling in Germany?

Allow several weeks rather than several days.

LUCID registration itself is usually quick, but VAT arrangements, packaging licensing, product compliance, legal pages, translation and marketplace onboarding all require preparation.

The technical connection to a marketplace is often the fastest part. The legal groundwork is what determines whether your launch goes smoothly.