How to Sell Online in Germany

Germany is one of Europe’s biggest and most mature e-commerce markets. After two flat years, B2C online sales returned to growth in 2024, reaching ~€80.6bn (+1.1% YoY). Marktplätze (marketplaces) captured the strongest momentum. German consumers are heavy online buyers by EU standards: ~83% of internet users shop online. Mobile keeps rising and marketplaces dominate discovery and conversion, especially in non-grocery categories.

What this means for cross-border sellers: enter via marketplaces first to gain trust and traffic; pair it with competitive pricing and German-specific CX.

Start selling in Germany

How Germans Buy (and What They Expect)

Language & trust signals: German-language listings, full pricing (VAT included), and transparent shipping/returns are table stakes. Germany’s imprint (Impressum) is legally required under the Digital Services Act (DDG) §5 (replacing TMG in 2024). Include complete company details and contacts.
Payments: PayPal remains the #1 online payment method, followed by invoice (“Kauf auf Rechnung”); BNPL via Klarna continues to grow. (EHI Online-Payment 2024 report shows PayPal at 27.7% of e-commerce sales in 2023; invoice rose to 26.7%.)
Out-of-home delivery: Germans love pickup points/lockers. DHL Packstation already counts 15,500+ lockers and plans to reach 30,000 by 2030; DPD/GLS are expanding nationwide OOH networks too.
Returns culture: Returns are high (especially fashion). EHI’s Shipping & Returns 2024 highlights returns handling speed and cost as critical levers. Build a clear, low-friction policy.

German Marketplaces

Marketplaces to Prioritise

Marketplaces concentrate discoverability and conversion in Germany, making them the fastest route for international sellers to gain trust and scale quickly. Below are the top marketplaces in Germany.

Amazon.de

Germany's largest online store by revenue
Captures an estimated 45–50% of all German marketplace volume
Strong across nearly all categories; FBA sets the delivery expectation buyers have everywhere else

OTTO Market

GMV up ~9% to over €7bn in FY 2024/25, outpacing the wider market (now ~€7.5bn in FY 2025/26)
~6,100 partner sellers and 12.6M active buyers (+4% YoY)
Mobile-first (>85% of visits); strongest in home & living, fashion and electronics

Zalando (Partner Program)

Leading European fashion platform with ~52 million active customers across ~25 markets
Partner logistics and returns handled for you via ZFS/ZRS
Ideal for branded apparel, footwear and beauty

Kaufland.de

Fast-growing generalist marketplace, up to ~32M monthly visitors and ~13k sellers
Expanding cross-border (France and Italy went live in 2025) — early-mover upside for EU sellers
Strongest in electronics, DIY and home

eBay.de

Around 18–20 million buyers per month in Germany - broad, high-intent reach
The go-to for refurbished tech, spare parts and collectibles
Flexible listing formats (auction and fixed price) suit long-tail and used inventory

Specialists

MediaMarkt/Saturn (electronics),
Home24 (home & deco),
ABOUT YOU (fashion),
HORNBACH (DIY),
Decathlon (sports).

Key challenges

Win on Price & Visibility (Germany is comparison-driven)

German shoppers actively compare across marketplaces and price comparison engines like idealo (avg. ~76M monthly visits in DE; 560M+ offers). If you’re not price-competitive, you’re invisible.

Pricing intelligence

Track competitors across Amazon.de/OTTO/eBay/Kaufland and the wider web, pinpoint gaps, and automate repricing rules to win Buy Boxes while protecting margins.

Retail media & ads

Push best-sellers and strategic SKUs into Google Shopping, social, and retargeting with feed-level control, so marketplace demand is reinforced by off-site traffic.

Brand compliance

Guard MSRP adherence, listing quality, and unauthorised resellers, especially important on open marketplaces.

Logistics & CX

In Germany, service expectations are exacting - clear delivery promises, reliable 48–72h shipping, real-time tracking, and frictionless returns aren’t “nice to have”; they’re conversion drivers.

Speed & transparency: Target 48–72h delivery domestically with full tracking. Use DHL for widest coverage + Packstation access; add DPD/GLS pickup networks for choice and cost control.
Returns as a growth lever: Offer print-at-home labels, drop-off at locker or shop, and fast refunds. Many retailers try to process returns within ≤3 working days.
Fulfillment options: Consider Amazon FBA for Prime-level SLA, or local 3PLs that integrate with NetMarkets to centralise orders & returns. If you sell fashion or beauty, consider Zalando Fulfillment Solutions (ZFS) and Zalando Returns Solutions (ZRS) to store inventory in Zalando’s network and leverage their shipping/returns infrastructure across core markets (e.g., DE/AT/BE/NL).

90-Day Game Plan (using Lengow)

Days 0–15: Market-fit & readiness

Localise DE listings (titles, bullets, attributes) and policies (returns, warranty).
Stand up NetMarkets: create master catalogue, map categories to Amazon/OTTO/Kaufland/Zalando, connect stock & order flows.
Configure NetRivals to monitor top competitors + idealo feeds for key SKUs.

Days 16–45: Launch & learn

Launch first on Amazon.de + OTTO + Kaufland; add eBay.de for breadth and Zalando if you’re in fashion or beauty.
Use NetMarkets rules for channel-specific titles, delivery promises, and content completeness (to boost buyability and category ranking).
Set repricing guardrails in NetRivals: target Buy Box price bands; protect margins via min-price logic.

Days 46–90: Scale & defend

Expand assortment to long-tail categories; layer NetAmplify to capture incremental demand via Shopping & social.
Use NetMonitor to catch unauthorised resellers/MSRP issues and fix listing quality problems that hurt conversion.
Optimise logistics (add Packstation and multiple pickup networks; reduce returns friction).

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