GLOBAL EXPANSION GUIDE
Start selling worldwide from Germany with Amazon
Find out how you can expand your business from Germany into international Amazon stores. Get step-by-step instructions for creating regional and country-specific seller accounts. Learn how to transfer your products to different countries and select shipping/logistics options.
How does Global Selling work?
Start selling worldwide from Germany in just a few simple steps:
- Decide what you want to sell
- Create an Amazon seller account
- List your products in the respective Amazon stores
- Deliver your goods and process customer orders
- Manage and automate your global activities with Amazon tools and programmes
Step 1: Decide what you want to sell
When selecting products to sell worldwide, you should first check the taxes and regulations for each country in which you want to sell. You should also review Amazon's product compliance, safety and listing requirements for each country.
Next, learn about the Amazon product categories in each country. You can use the Best Seller lists in each Amazon store to identify which categories might be popular. For example, search for Best Sellers on Amazon.co.jp if you're planning to sell in Japan. You can also use Amazon's tools, such as Marketplace Product Guidance and Product Opportunity Explorer.
If a product belongs to a brand that is enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, this may affect your ability to list and sell it in an Amazon store. Whether and how you can list the product will depend on your relationship with the brand.
Next, learn about the Amazon product categories in each country. You can use the Best Seller lists in each Amazon store to identify which categories might be popular. For example, search for Best Sellers on Amazon.co.jp if you're planning to sell in Japan. You can also use Amazon's tools, such as Marketplace Product Guidance and Product Opportunity Explorer.
If a product belongs to a brand that is enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, this may affect your ability to list and sell it in an Amazon store. Whether and how you can list the product will depend on your relationship with the brand.
Taxes and regulations
Product requirements vary by country. You should review the taxes and regulations for each country in which you want to sell:
- United States tax and regulatory considerations
- Canada tax and regulatory considerations
- Mexico tax and regulatory considerations
- Brazil tax and regulatory considerations
- Europe tax and regulatory considerations
- United Kingdom tax and regulatory considerations
- Japan tax and regulatory considerations
- Australia goods and services tax
- Singapore goods and services tax
Amazon product compliance
You should review Amazon's product compliance, safety and listing requirements for each country in which you want to sell:
Product categories
Amazon product categories may vary by country. You should review the categories for each country in which you want to sell:
Please note that not all product categories on Amazon are freely available to all sellers. Some are generally open to everyone, while others require a Professional selling plan. There are also categories for which you need to request specific approval from Amazon. And there are even product categories in which third-party sellers cannot sell.
Pro tip
List a wide variety of products
We recommend listing a wide range of products instead of limiting yourself to your home store bestsellers. This allows you to better understand the buying behaviour of customers in different countries and test which items sell well internationally. Remove products that are selling poorly or start fulfilling customer orders yourself to avoid having to send inventory to another country.
Branded products
If you are a new Amazon seller and have a registered trademark, we recommend enrolling this trademark in Amazon Brand Registry before listing your products in Amazon stores. Amazon Brand Registry is free and gives you additional benefits such as A+ Content, Brand Analytics and Manage Your Experiments.
- Brand name or logo: Your brand name or company logo must be permanently displayed on your products or packaging
- Registered trademark: You must have a registered trademark for your brand name or logo issued by a government agency.
Once your government-recognised trademark has been approved by Amazon Trademark Registry, your brand will be given an international Brand Registry account, which will allow you to list your products in any Amazon Store worldwide.
If a product belongs to a brand that is registered with Amazon, it can only be listed on Amazon by an authorised representative or reseller of that brand. This is a standard process that requires a login. As soon as a product with a registered trademark is listed on Amazon, other sellers can also offer it. However, they must first obtain permission from the trademark owner.
If a product belongs to a brand that is registered with Amazon, it can only be listed on Amazon by an authorised representative or reseller of that brand. This is a standard process that requires a login. As soon as a product with a registered trademark is listed on Amazon, other sellers can also offer it. However, they must first obtain permission from the trademark owner.
Linguistic considerations
Products must be listed in local languages. With the "Build International Listings" tool, you can simplify the translation of your product detail pages:
- If you assign a listing to a product that is already available in a global Amazon store, you don't need to provide any translated information about the product or listing. We simply link your listing to the existing product detail page as it appears in the respective local language.
- When you create a new product detail page in a global Amazon store, it is often automatically translated into the local language. If your product page isn't automatically translated, you can use our Service Provider Network to find a translation provider.
You must also provide customer support in local languages:
- If you self-fulfil customer orders, you can use the Service Provider Network to find a provider who can offer customer service in the local language.
- If you use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) to process customer orders, we provide customer service in the local language on your behalf.
- Use the Country-Specific Upload tool to find out how to upload country-specific images to stores that you've expanded into and provide your customers with localised text about the images.
Step 2: Create an Amazon seller account
Once you've selected your selling plan, you can sign up for Amazon and create a Seller Central account. You can create your account using the email address associated with your Amazon customer account or with a separate business email address.
Already selling on Amazon.de?
Even if you're already selling in an Amazon store, you'll need to create a new selling partner account for your desired destination store. For example, if you sell in Germany or the US and want to sell in Japan, you'll need to create a new Amazon seller account for Amazon.co.jp. You can create your account using the email address associated with your Amazon customer account or with a separate business email address.
New to Amazon?
If you're new to Amazon and want to start selling in one of our stores, you can create your seller account directly for that store.
Payment
You can use the Amazon Currency Converter to have proceeds from your sales in other countries paid into a bank account in your home country.
You can also use a local bank account for depositing proceeds from sales in another country. For example, you could use a bank based in Germany for sales on Amazon.com. Before you open a bank account in another country, we recommend that you consult your legal, tax and banking advisors, as you may need to establish a legal entity in that country.
You can also use a local bank account for depositing proceeds from sales in another country. For example, you could use a bank based in Germany for sales on Amazon.com. Before you open a bank account in another country, we recommend that you consult your legal, tax and banking advisors, as you may need to establish a legal entity in that country.
Performance
If you sell in multiple Amazon stores, there is no connection between your seller accounts in terms of seller performance metrics. The key figures are measured separately for each seller account.
Step 3: List your products in the respective Amazon stores
If you're already selling in one of our stores, you can use the "Build International Listings" tool to list your products in global Amazon stores.
Additionally, you can list your products manually if you have less than 20 products, or in bulk using inventory files.
Additionally, you can list your products manually if you have less than 20 products, or in bulk using inventory files.
When you list products on Amazon for the first time, you can associate listings with existing product detail pages or create new pages for your preferred Amazon store. You can then use theBuild International Listings (BIL) tool to create listings in other Amazon stores.
Pricing considerations
If you already sell in one of our stores and use the "Build International Listings" tool to list products in other Amazon stores worldwide, your prices will be synchronised between stores based on your DE prices and pricing rules. Build International Listings also regularly adjusts prices to take account of exchange rate fluctuations in other countries. Learn more
You can also create separate listings and set distinct prices in each Amazon store using our standard listing processes. If you're not synchronising your prices across stores, keep the following considerations in mind when setting prices for each country:
You can also create separate listings and set distinct prices in each Amazon store using our standard listing processes. If you're not synchronising your prices across stores, keep the following considerations in mind when setting prices for each country:
- Shipping and return costs if you fulfil international orders directly
- Customer service costs when you fulfil international orders directly, including language assistance costs, if required
- Shipping rates if you send inventory to Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) in other countries
- Conversion costs associated with payment in your local currency
- Taxes and other charges
Product reviews
If you already sell in one of our stores, your product reviews will initially be transferred to other international stores. These imported reviews will remain visible until the product starts receiving local reviews.
Step 4: Deliver your goods and process customer orders
You have two basic options for delivering products to customers around the world.
Fulfilment by Seller
Ship orders directly to customers using a range of solutions called Fulfilment by Seller. We have a network of verified providers for international shipping that offer discounted rates.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)
Use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) to reach customers around the world in the way that works best for your business. For each programme, FBA handles picking, packing, shipping, returns and customer service.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) worldwide
- When you expand your business to stores outside your home country, you will need to observe import and export obligations. Learn more about importing and exporting.
- Amazon Global Logistics is a door-to-door ocean freight transportation programme from China directly to the Amazon Fulfilment Network in the US, UK and the EU. Learn more about Amazon Global Logistics (AGL)
- You can use our cross-border transportation programme to ship your FBA inventory (FBA = Fulfilment by Amazon) from Germany to Amazon fulfilment centres in the US via an Amazon shipping partner. Learn more about the Partner Carrier Programme.
- Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) is a cost-effective warehouse solution for your US inventory, which is distributed to your Amazon Store and other sales channels. Learn more about Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD)
Remote Fulfilment with Fulfilment by Amazon in North America
Reach customers in Canada, Mexico and Brazil who shop on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.mx, and Amazon.com.br through your US store. Customers can buy your export-eligible products that are stored in US fulfilment centres. At checkout, they'll be shown a price that includes the estimated import duties, taxes and fees. We'll ship to them at no additional cost to you.
Learn more about Remote Fulfilment by Amazon
Learn more about Remote Fulfilment by Amazon
Considerations for Fulfilment by Seller
To ship customer orders internationally, start by selecting a carrier such as UPS, FedEx or USPS. You act as the official exporter and should clearly communicate shipping times and costs as well as relevant duties and taxes.
International shipping fees can be significantly higher than the costs of domestic shipping and depend on various factors, such as:
International shipping fees can be significantly higher than the costs of domestic shipping and depend on various factors, such as:
- Package dimensions and weight
- Delivery time
- Where orders are being shipped to and from
- Duties and taxes
Considerations for FBA worldwide
When you export inventory to Amazon fulfilment centres in other countries, you may need handle some or all of the obligations of the import and export process yourself. You can also engage a logistics provider, such as a customs broker or a freight forwarder, who may have more experience and time to ensure that your inventory is transported safely and on time. You must engage all logistics providers directly.
When you ship goods to Amazon fulfilment centres in other countries, you or your provider must act as the registered exporter and registered importer and comply with all laws and regulations in both countries. The destination country may incur duties, import taxes and fees. Amazon is not responsible for duties and taxes associated with FBA inventory. Any shipments arriving at an Amazon fulfilment centre with customs duty charges due will be returned to the sender.
Learn more about importing and exporting inventory
When you ship goods to Amazon fulfilment centres in other countries, you or your provider must act as the registered exporter and registered importer and comply with all laws and regulations in both countries. The destination country may incur duties, import taxes and fees. Amazon is not responsible for duties and taxes associated with FBA inventory. Any shipments arriving at an Amazon fulfilment centre with customs duty charges due will be returned to the sender.
Learn more about importing and exporting inventory
Step 5: Manage and automate your global activities with Amazon tools and programmes
Use the tools in Seller Central to manage and automate your global operations. We offer a variety of tools and programmes to help you run your business, reach new customers and grow your revenue, including:
Product Opportunity Explorer
Get ideas for new products or offers. Product Opportunity Explorer generates insights into the search and buying behaviour of Amazon customers.
Automated pricing
Create and apply dynamic pricing rules to increase your chances of becoming the Featured Offer in the Amazon store.
Amazon Currency Converter
If you sell at Amazon stores in multiple countries, use the Amazon Currency Converter to enable autopilot mode for global payouts.
Coupons and offers
Create coupons that appear on the Amazon coupon page, search results and product detail pages.
Amazon Business
Business customers tend to buy more items in larger quantities and are less likely to return items. Use a range of B2B features to attract more business customers.
Incentives for new selling partners
Discover $50,000 worth of incentives to support your expansion in the US, Europe and Japan.
Did you know?
Seller University can help you sell in other countries
Seller University provides step-by-step instructions for creating an Amazon seller account, listing and pricing products, and fulfilling customer orders. You can also learn how to manage your sales, build your brand and advertise on Amazon.
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