E-commerce in Germany

Germany offers many opportunities for Dutch businesses. Online marketplaces such as Amazon, Zalando, and eBay are important players in the German e-commerce market. In 2024, these platforms together achieved a turnover of 44 billion euros. Platforms allow you to reach German customers quickly and easily. Of course, you can also set up your own German webshop. In this article, you can read more about e-commerce in Germany and get marketing tips. This will help you get off to a good start in the German online market.

Applying for a local domain name

If you are serious about doing business in Germany, apply for a domain name with country code .de. German consumers are much more likely to surf to and buy from a shop with a German domain name than a Dutch domain name, as they will be more likely to trust a website that feels familiar.

Registration in Germany

The Deutsches Network Information Center (DENIC) is responsible for registering internet domain names in Germany. For a .de domain name, you need a business address in Germany. If you do not have a business address in Germany, designate an administrative contact in Germany. This person's name and address must be known to DENIC.

E-commerce trust marks

German people value reliability and trust marks. With a trust mark, you can show your customers that your shop has been audited by an independent organisation, increasing your odds that German customers will make a purchase. You are not required to have a trust mark, or Gütesiegel (in German). The most common trust marks in Germany are:

• Trusted Shops: European trust mark for online shops that verifies whether e-retailers respect customers' rights.
• TÜV-SÜD Geprüft S@fer shopping (in German): German trust mark generally viewed by German people as signifying quality.
• EHI Geprüfter Online Shop (in German): quality mark from EHI, German’s most famous trade organisation.
• Datenschutz cert GmbH (in German): primarily assesses data security and data protection.

Impressum

Impressum is the German word for colophon. A colophon provides information about the owner of a webshop. By law (in German), written media must have an Impressum, and that includes German websites and online shops. This also includes your online store, if you translate it into German.

The Impressum must contain the following information:

• Name, address, and legal structure of your business.
• Telephone number and email address.
• VAT identification number.
• Registration numbers.
• Possible name of the representative.

This information must be accessible to everyone and clearly displayed on your website. Not having an Impressum is a major reason for Germans to issue an Abmahnung. This is a kind of warning that requires you to take action.

General terms and conditions

In the Netherlands, general terms and conditions are not mandatory. In Germany, you must provide your customers with these terms and conditions in writing. For example, you can publish your terms and conditions on your website or provide them to your German customers during the ordering process.

The terms and conditions are only valid if they are in German and comply with German laws and regulations. For example, provide information about shipping costs, warranty and return policy. In Germany, general terms and conditions are referred to as Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen (AGB).

Right of cancellation

The right of cancellation is called Widerrufsbelehrung in Germany. This law stipulates that consumers may return a purchase within 14 days. Clearly describe in your online shop the steps customers must take to exercise this right. You must do this before the customer makes a purchase in your online shop. Requirements include that you

• provide a model form for returns, and
• refund customers in a timely manner.

Datenschutzerklärung

Owners of German online shops process personal data and need a ‘Datenschutzerklärung’ (in German). This statement should specify, for example, what data you collect from customers and how you collect, use, store and protect this data.

Also give your customers the option to unsubscribe from things like newsletters. Display this statement prominently on your online shop, for example at the top or bottom of your homepage.

For more information about German laws and regulations, download this brochure: ‘Rechtssichere Internetseiten & Online Shops‘ (PDF, in German).

Payment methods

Adapt your payment options to the preferences of the market. Germans like to pay afterwards via Klarna. And they like to pay via PayPal, with a credit card or SOFORT banking. The latter is similar to an online transfer. A new payment system is also being introduced: Wero. This is the foreign equivalent of iDEAL. In Germany, it is mandatory to offer at least 1 free payment method in your online shop.

VAT on distance sales in Germany

For sales and deliveries that involve shipping goods from the Netherlands to German consumers, the 'destination country principle‘ applies. This rule also applies to entrepreneurs who are not subject to VAT and to legal entities that are not entrepreneurs. Under this rule, you have to charge German VAT to German consumers. In Germany, VAT or sales tax is known as Umsatzteuer (USt) or Mehrwertsteuer (MwSt). For more information about VAT rates in Germany, visit the website of the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern.

There are 2 ways to file overseas VAT returns.

1. The first way is to apply for a German VAT number and file local VAT returns in Germany.
2. The second way is to sign your company up for the Union scheme under the One-Stop-Shop system of the Dutch Tax Administration, who will then pass on the VAT to Germany.

If your total annual sales to German consumers and your other intra-EU consumer sales remain below the €10,000 threshold, you are allowed to continue to charge Dutch VAT as a Dutch online shop.

German laws and regulations

When you sell products to German customers, German laws and regulations apply. They may differ from the laws and regulations you are used to in the Netherlands, for example:

1. Germany has strict packaging requirements (in Dutch) requirements. Do you sell packaged products through your webshop to German customers? If so, you must take back this packaging according to German law, the Verpackungsgesetz (VerpackG). This obligation lies with the first party in the chain that brings packaged products onto the German market.
2. Since 1 January 2025, Germany has had extra rules on disposable plastic, and for registration for this in the LUCID register. Do you ship products with (partially) plastic shipping material? Then you have to contribute to the Einwegkunststofffonds. A fund for one-time use of plastic. For this, you register your business and possible products online on the DIVID platform.
3. Germany also has specific legislation on batteries. This is the so-called Batteriegesetz’(BattG) (in German). If you sell products containing batteries to German consumers, you are also responsible for recycling these batteries and have to be listed in the Batterie-register (Stiftung GRS Batterien).
4. For the sale of electrical and electronic equipment, Germany has the Elektro- und Elektronikgerätegesetz (Elektrogesetz), which states that if you place this equipment on the German market, you are also responsible for the collection and environmentally friendly disposal of discarded appliances. This law applies even if you do not have a branch in Germany. Before you place products on the market in Germany, you have to register with the Stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (ear).

For any questions about German laws and regulations, reach out to the German product contact point.

5 tips

According to research by the Centre of Market Insights (CMIHvA) (in Dutch), one of the biggest pitfalls for foreign businesses looking to enter the German e-commerce market is to use the same strategy for your Dutch and German online shop, for instance. So check out the following tips and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.

1. Investigate whether the German market demands special products

Check whether your product meets German product requirements (in Dutch), Customising your product is sometimes a better choice. This way, you take your customers' wishes into account. Often, a small change to your product is enough. For example, a colour that is more appealing.

Example

You sell bicycle clothing and accessories. Many Germans are commuting by bike. Safety comes first and many people wear bike helmets and high-visibility vests. You have them in your range anyway, and you offer particularly striking, highly visible colours especially for the German market.

2. Make your website mobile-friendly

Germans spend a lot of time on their smartphones. Keep your website mobile-friendly and give visitors all the information they need at a glance. When designing your mobile website, remember that visitors will view it on a relatively small screen.

3. Make your website look and feel German

German website visitors prefer sites that feel familiar, so use German copy and include a German phone number, address, and bank account number. Have your website translated by a professional agency and enlist local partners for help and support with social media and customer service.

4. Update your keywords and search terms

Germans use different search terms than Dutch people. Dutch advertising keywords like ‘the best and the cheapest’ are less effective in Germany. While Dutch people primarily look at prices when comparing products, German customers will focus on quality and reviews, so update your keywords accordingly.

5. Narrow down your online market

Apart from Germany, German is also spoken in Austria, large parts of Switzerland, South Tyrol, and southern Denmark. So the German-speaking area in which you do business is bigger than you might think. Decide beforehand which customers and which region(s) you want to target. You can always expand later. With a search engine like Google, you can easily narrow down a region online. However, remember that you are not allowed to use geoblocking to block IP addresses of foreign customers.

Key figures

According to the online monitor 2025 by Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), Germans spent 88.8 billion euros online in 2025. An increase of 3.8 % compared to 2024. Back then, turnover amounted to 85.5 billion euros.

Germans are spending slightly more money online again. Just slightly more than they buy in real shops on the high streets. German young people in particular are buying more second-hand or cheaper products from foreign online shops.