From a purchasing power perspective, Germany is not only the most populous country in the EU, but also the largest economy in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. The German e-commerce market is also quite developed and is China’s second largest e-commerce market in Europe. In addition to Amazon and eBay, there are several online trading markets in Germany such as Zalando, Hood, Hitmeister, and Yatego.
Marketing can increase visibility in the market through price comparison websites such as idealo and billiger, making it more localized and reflecting the professionalism of the product. Be careful when using credit cards online in Germany. The popular payment methods are PayPal and bank transfer.
Germany is a well-known consumer country for returns, especially when it comes to clothes and accessories. They hope to get return protection. Although there is no legal provision, Germans usually believe that goods above 40 euros are free to return. . Due to this consumption habit, it is important to have a local return address (overseas warehouse) to improve customer experience and control the cost of returns.
Germany itself is also a big manufacturing country. Refer to Statista.com return rate data and pay attention to choosing the right product line. For example, the best-selling products on Otto are household products. The VAT threshold in Germany is 100,000 euros. If the volume of products sold to Germany exceeds this amount in a year, you will have to pay tax locally in Germany and hire an accountant or service provider in this regard.
Germany’s logistics industry has been rated as the most developed in the world for many years in a row, and local distribution is basically barrier-free. Except for large items, most online shopping products are shipped free of charge. It is important to operate in German. Consumers like to read instructions and other information in their native language, and online services are more friendly. Pay attention to adding the IMPRESSUM copyright statement to the website to make the seller look like a regular company. Germany is also the preferred location for many overseas warehouses in continental Europe.