Guides
Guides for selling in the EU and the UK
EU and UK tax rules are long, and most of them are written for accountants. These guides explain the rules that decide whether you can keep selling, in plain English. Every rule links to the official source, so you can check it yourself.
Selling in the EU and the UK
- 01
Do you need a VAT number to sell on Amazon in Europe?
If Amazon stores your goods in Europe, usually yes. The European Commission says a business with stock in an EU country where it is not registered will normally have to register for VAT there. A seller based outside the UK that supplies goods there must normally register for UK VAT, whatever its turnover. Without stock, it depends how you ship.
Read the guide - 02
EPR for online sellers: Germany and France explained
EPR makes the business that puts packaged goods on a market help pay to recycle the packaging. In Germany, a company abroad that ships packaged goods direct to end users registers in the LUCID Packaging Register, and electronics and batteries go through stiftung ear. In France, companies under a producer scheme hold a unique identifier (IDU) for each scheme.
Read the guide - 03
EU authorised representative and GPSR: who needs one
Two EU laws ask for one. Consumer products under the General Product Safety Regulation, and toys, electrical goods and other products under the laws listed in Regulation 2019/1020, may be placed on the EU market only if an economic operator based in the EU is responsible for them. With no EU manufacturer or importer, that is usually an authorised representative.
Read the guide - 04
OSS vs IOSS vs local VAT registration: which one?
OSS covers goods you ship from one EU country to shoppers in another, declared every quarter. IOSS covers parcels worth €150 or less shipped into the EU from outside, declared every month. A local VAT number is for the country where your stock sits. OSS and IOSS come on top of a local number. They do not replace it.
Read the guide
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