How do you get started selling on Amazon as a European company?

Selling on Amazon as a European company is one of the fastest ways to reach millions of shoppers across multiple countries simultaneously. Whether you are a manufacturer, brand owner, or distributor, Amazon’s infrastructure gives you access to a ready-made audience that would take years to build independently. But getting started requires more than just listing your products. From account setup and VAT compliance to choosing the right fulfilment model, there are real decisions to make before your first sale. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to launch on Amazon as a European business in 2026. If you want to explore how a full-service approach can accelerate that journey, Distrilink helps brands activate and scale on Amazon and other major marketplaces without building the entire operation in-house.

Why should European companies sell on Amazon?

European companies should sell on Amazon because it provides immediate access to one of the world’s largest and most trusted retail platforms, with hundreds of millions of active customers across Europe and beyond. Amazon’s brand recognition, logistics infrastructure, and built-in search demand allow businesses to generate sales far faster than building a standalone webshop from scratch.

Beyond raw reach, Amazon offers a level of purchase intent that few other channels can match. Shoppers on Amazon are actively looking to buy, not just browse. That means your products appear in front of high-intent audiences at the exact moment they are ready to convert.

For European brands specifically, Amazon opens doors to markets like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK through a single seller account. With Amazon FBA, you can store inventory in Amazon’s European fulfilment centres and serve customers across borders without managing local logistics yourself. This makes international expansion significantly more accessible for companies that lack the infrastructure to operate in multiple countries at once.

Amazon also functions as a powerful discovery engine. Many consumers search for products directly on Amazon rather than Google, which means having a presence there is increasingly important for brand visibility, even if your primary sales channel is elsewhere.

What do you need to start selling on Amazon in Europe?

To start selling on Amazon in Europe, you need a registered business entity, a valid bank account, government-issued identification, and a product that complies with EU regulations. You will also need to register for VAT in the countries where you store or sell goods, and have product information ready, including EAN or UPC barcodes.

Here is a practical checklist of what you need before you can go live:

A registered business: Amazon requires a legally registered company. Sole traders may qualify in some cases, but a registered entity is strongly preferred.
A bank account: Must be in a country and currency that Amazon supports for payouts.
Government-issued ID: A passport or national identity card for the account holder.
VAT registration: Required in any EU country where you hold inventory or exceed local distance selling thresholds.
Product barcodes: EAN codes are required for most product listings. You can purchase these through GS1.
Product compliance documentation: CE markings, safety certificates, or other EU-required documentation depending on your product category.
High-quality product content: Images, titles, bullet points, and descriptions that meet Amazon’s content requirements.

If you plan to use Amazon FBA, you will also need to prepare your products according to Amazon’s packaging and labelling requirements before sending inventory to a fulfilment centre. Getting this right from the start avoids costly delays and rejected shipments.

What’s the difference between Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central?

The key difference is who sells to the end customer. With Seller Central, you sell directly to consumers on Amazon’s marketplace and retain control over pricing, inventory, and listings. With Vendor Central, you sell your products wholesale to Amazon, which then resells them to customers under Amazon’s own retail model. Vendor Central is invitation-only.

For most European companies starting out on Amazon, Seller Central is the default and recommended path. Here is how the two models compare:

Seller Central

You are the seller of record
Full control over pricing and product listings
Access to both FBA and Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) options
Faster to set up and open to any registered business
You receive payment directly from Amazon after fees

Vendor Central

Amazon becomes the seller of record
Amazon sets the retail price, which you cannot control
Products are listed as “Sold by Amazon,” which can increase consumer trust
Requires an invitation from Amazon, typically after demonstrating strong sales performance
Payment terms are based on purchase orders from Amazon, not individual sales

For brands that prioritise margin control and pricing flexibility, Seller Central is usually the better fit. Vendor Central can work well for large, established brands with high volume, but the loss of pricing control is a significant trade-off that many companies underestimate.

How do you set up an Amazon seller account as a European company?

To set up an Amazon seller account as a European company, go to sell.amazon.co.uk or sellercentral.amazon.de, choose between an Individual or Professional selling plan, and complete the registration process by submitting your business details, bank account information, tax information, and identity verification documents.

The step-by-step process looks like this:

Choose your selling plan: The Individual plan charges a per-item fee with no monthly subscription. The Professional plan costs a fixed monthly fee and is the right choice for any business expecting to sell more than a handful of items per month.
Enter your business information: Legal business name, registered address, company registration number, and contact details.
Provide bank account details: Amazon will verify your account before you can receive payments.
Complete identity verification: Upload a government-issued ID and a bank statement or utility bill for address confirmation.
Add VAT information: You will need to enter your VAT number. If you are not yet VAT-registered, you may need to do this before your account can be fully activated.
Set up your storefront: Add your brand name, logo, and any relevant brand information.
Create your first listings: Use existing ASINs if your product is already on Amazon, or create new listings with full product content.

One important decision at this stage is whether to register for Amazon’s European Fulfilment Network (EFN) or Pan-European FBA. EFN allows you to store inventory in one country and ship across Europe. Pan-European FBA distributes your inventory across multiple countries automatically, which improves delivery speeds but triggers VAT obligations in each country where stock is held.

How does Amazon handle VAT and taxes for European sellers?

Amazon does not handle VAT registration or compliance on your behalf. As a European seller, you are responsible for registering for VAT in every country where you store inventory or exceed local sales thresholds. Amazon does collect and remit VAT on certain marketplace transactions, but your overall VAT obligations depend on your fulfilment model and sales volumes.

This is one of the most complex areas for European sellers, and it is worth understanding clearly before you expand across borders.

Key VAT considerations for Amazon sellers in Europe

One Stop Shop (OSS): The EU’s OSS scheme simplifies cross-border VAT reporting for B2C sales. If you sell to consumers in multiple EU countries, you can file a single VAT return through OSS rather than registering in each country individually, provided you do not store stock locally.
Pan-European FBA and VAT: If you use Pan-European FBA, Amazon distributes your inventory to fulfilment centres across Europe. This creates a VAT obligation in each country where your stock is stored, regardless of where you are based.
UK VAT post-Brexit: Selling into the UK requires a separate UK VAT registration. Amazon collects VAT on imports under £135 through its marketplace, but for higher-value goods, you manage this yourself.
Amazon’s VAT Services: Amazon offers a VAT Services on Amazon programme in partnership with third-party providers. This can help manage filings in multiple countries, but it is a paid service.

Working with a VAT specialist or a partner experienced in cross-border e-commerce is strongly recommended before activating Pan-European FBA. Getting VAT wrong can result in significant back payments and penalties.

What are the most common mistakes European companies make on Amazon?

The most common mistakes European companies make on Amazon include launching with incomplete product content, underestimating VAT obligations, ignoring Amazon’s advertising system, and treating Amazon as a passive sales channel rather than one that requires active management and optimisation.

Here are the mistakes that most frequently hold brands back:

Weak product listings: Poor images, thin descriptions, and missing keywords mean your products will not rank in Amazon’s search results. Content quality directly affects both visibility and conversion rate.
No advertising strategy: Organic ranking on Amazon takes time. Without Amazon Ads, especially Sponsored Products, new listings are effectively invisible. Most successful sellers treat advertising as a launch requirement, not an optional extra.
Ignoring the Buy Box: If multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon rotates the Buy Box based on price, fulfilment method, and seller performance metrics. Not understanding how the Buy Box works leads to lost sales without any obvious explanation.
Underestimating Amazon FBA costs: FBA fees include storage, fulfilment, and, in some cases, long-term storage charges for slow-moving inventory. Brands that do not model these costs accurately often find their margins are far lower than expected.
Neglecting reviews: Amazon’s algorithm heavily weights review velocity and rating. Brands that do not have a strategy for generating legitimate reviews after launch struggle to gain traction.
Failing to localise content: Translating listings into local languages is not optional if you want to compete in Germany, France, or Italy. Machine-translated content performs poorly and damages brand perception.
Treating Amazon in isolation: Amazon works best as part of a broader multichannel strategy. Brands that rely entirely on Amazon without building their own customer relationships are exposed if Amazon changes its policies or fees.

How Distrilink helps you launch and scale on Amazon

At Distrilink, we help brands grow quickly and in a controlled way on Amazon and other major European marketplaces. Rather than building an entire marketplace team, IT infrastructure, and logistics operation from scratch, brands can activate and scale through us immediately. We represent more than 25 brands and are connected to all major European marketplaces.

Our approach is data-driven and standardised, supported by our own platform and fulfilment capabilities. We take on the full operational execution so you can focus on your products and brand strategy:

Account activation and setup: We handle the complete Amazon account setup, including content creation, listing optimisation, and compliance checks.
Amazon FBA and logistics: Through our in-house warehouse and fulfilment infrastructure, we manage inventory, shipping, and returns so you do not have to build that capacity yourself.
Advertising and growth: We run data-driven Amazon Ads campaigns to drive visibility and sales from day one.
VAT and compliance guidance: We help you navigate the cross-border VAT requirements that come with selling across European marketplaces.
Customer service: We manage buyer communications and post-purchase service on your behalf.
Performance reporting: Through our Distrilink Acceleration Platform, you get clear, centralised insight into your performance across all channels.

Brands that work with us expand their e-commerce presence without adding operational complexity. You bring the products and the ambition. We handle the rest, with speed, control, and full transparency. Get in touch with Distrilink to find out how we can help you launch and scale on Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it typically take to start generating consistent sales on Amazon as a new European seller?

Most new sellers can expect a ramp-up period of 3 to 6 months before seeing consistent, meaningful sales. This timeline is influenced by how competitive your product category is, the quality of your listings, and whether you invest in Amazon Ads from the start. Sellers who launch with optimised content, a review-generation strategy, and an active advertising budget tend to reach profitability significantly faster than those who rely on organic ranking alone.

Should I start with one Amazon marketplace or launch across multiple European countries at once?

For most European companies, it is advisable to start with one or two core markets, typically the UK and Germany as Amazon's two largest European marketplaces, before expanding further. Launching everywhere at once spreads your budget, inventory, and attention too thin, and each market has its own language, consumer behaviour, and competitive dynamics. Once you have validated your listings, pricing, and fulfilment model in your primary market, scaling to France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands becomes much more manageable.

What is the difference between Amazon EFN and Pan-European FBA, and which one should I choose?

With the European Fulfilment Network (EFN), you store inventory in a single fulfilment centre and Amazon ships cross-border to customers in other countries, meaning you only need VAT registration in the country where your stock is held. Pan-European FBA automatically distributes your inventory across multiple fulfilment centres in different countries to improve delivery speed, but this triggers VAT obligations in every country where stock is stored. For sellers new to Amazon or those not yet set up for multi-country VAT compliance, EFN is the lower-risk starting point, with Pan-European FBA as a logical next step once your VAT setup is in place.

Do I need to register a brand on Amazon, and what are the benefits of doing so?

Amazon Brand Registry is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended for any brand owner selling their own products. Registering your brand unlocks access to A+ Content, which allows you to add enhanced images and comparison tables to your listings, as well as Amazon Stores, Sponsored Brands ads, and stronger intellectual property protection tools. Brand Registry also gives you more control over your listings and makes it significantly harder for unauthorised third parties to alter your product content or hijack your listings.

How should I price my products on Amazon to remain competitive without destroying my margins?

Start by mapping out your full cost structure, including product cost, Amazon referral fees, FBA fulfilment and storage fees, advertising spend, and VAT, before setting a minimum viable price. Use Amazon's Revenue Calculator to model different price points and their impact on net margin. Rather than racing to the bottom on price, focus on differentiating through superior content, reviews, and fulfilment speed, as these factors allow you to maintain a price premium while still winning the Buy Box.

What should I do if my Amazon seller account gets suspended or a listing gets removed?

Account suspensions and listing removals are more common than most new sellers expect, and responding correctly is critical. When a listing is removed, Amazon will typically cite a specific policy violation, so read the notification carefully and address the root cause directly in your appeal rather than simply asking for reinstatement. For full account suspensions, you will need to submit a Plan of Action that acknowledges the issue, explains what caused it, and outlines concrete steps you have taken to prevent recurrence. If you are unsure how to handle a suspension, working with an experienced Amazon consultant or managed service partner can significantly improve your chances of a successful appeal.

Can I sell on Amazon Europe if my products are manufactured outside the EU, and what are the import compliance requirements?

Yes, you can sell products manufactured outside the EU on Amazon Europe, but you are responsible for ensuring they meet all relevant EU product regulations before they are listed or imported. This includes CE markings for applicable product categories, REACH compliance for chemical substances, and correct labelling in the local language of each market. As the importer of record, you are also responsible for customs duties and import VAT when goods enter the EU. Working with a freight forwarder and a compliance specialist before your first shipment will help you avoid costly delays, rejected goods, or listing removals.