Last Updated on March 24th, 2020
Amazon.nl is not entirely new to the Netherlands. Since 2014, Dutch customers could use Amazon.nl for e-book purchases, whereas for all other needs they were redirected to Amazon.de.
This year finally, the eCommerce giant decided to expand further in Europe and open the full Amazon.nl experience currently enjoyed by many other countries around the world.
Amazon has announced that third-party sellers can register their Amazon Netherlands accounts on services.amazon.nl. Both Dutch and foreign sellers are invited to join and it seems like sellers are jumping to this opportunity.
In 2019, Amazon itself started translating product listings from German to Dutch and this did not go unnoticed. Forbes speculated that Amazon’s next move was indeed the Netherlands based on their activities such as:
- Amazon looking for office spaces in Amsterdam as well as Dutch-speaking new hires
- Amazon.de being translated to Dutch and offering the possibility to order from a Dutch address with free shipping;
- On 2019 Cyber Monday, Amazon.de bought all advertising space at Nu.nl (largest Dutch news site with 2.7 million daily unique visitors) with several discount deals targeted at the Dutch audience.
At the end of 2019, here at YLT- translations, we have already translated listings for our clients from German and English to Dutch (prior to the Amazon official announcement), as more and more clients were preparing for a new opportunity and trying to stay ahead of their competitors.
Last week alone, we have received over 80 translation requests for Amazon.nl alone, which means the Netherlands is the new hot market and more and more sellers are jumping in.
So, let’s have a deeper look into Amazon Netherlands, and what can you do right now with an Amazon.nl seller account.
Amazon.nl- What We Know So Far
For creating an Amazon.nl seller account, you’ll be charged a monthly fee of €39 (excluding VAT), but you’ll be able to sell your products on every Amazon marketplace in Europe. This includes the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
All sellers will have access to Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA)’s delivery and logistics operations in order to fulfill orders across Europe.
This is a huge opportunity for sellers to capitalize on. Keep in mind that over 50% of all items purchased on Amazon globally are sold by third-party vendors. In 2018 alone, small and medium-sized businesses made €6.9 billion in sales via Amazon in Europe.
It’s important to note that Amazon Netherlands will initially have some restrictions on the types of products that can be sold. For instance, only new products are currently allowed and some products will require approval from Amazon first.
But, don’t worry if you don’t have a suitable product right now. It’s extremely likely that Amazon.nl will expand its available categories later this year.
According to Roeland Donker, country manager for Benelux at Amazon, one of the key priorities is to expand the product range over time.
“We’re convinced that we can win the trust of the Dutch consumer with a wide product range, competitive prices and fast and reliable delivery.”
This is further confirmed by Alex Ootes, VP EU Expansion at Amazon, who stated:
“We are really excited to be launching a more comprehensive shopping experience on Amazon.nl. Selection, value and convenience are the key drivers of our retail experience for Amazon customers and Dutch businesses play a critical role in delivering that.”
The official launch date of the new Amazon.nl has been January 17th, 2020 and is now opening its doors to external vendors. We always recommend that being first on a new market can only do good for your business!
As we continue to learn more about Amazon Netherlands, we’ll update this blog with more information for you. Alternatively, you can subscribe to our newsletter or like us on Facebook to be the first to learn any breaking news.
Updates on the Amazon Netherlands [as of March 2020]
[UPDATE] Amazon.nl now supports international bank accounts.
Also, the warehouse seems to be located in Germany for the time being.
Amazon.nl & VAT Process
For your VAT-related questions, we have reached out to Francesca at SimplyVAT to clarify the process for you.
YLT: ”If they suddenly add a new country to PanEU, are the Dutch authorities set up to receive thousands of VAT applications in one week, or how is VAT handled in this case? And do you know if it true that the distance selling limit for NL is €100k?”
Francesca says: ”Yes correct! The threshold is €100k and the distance selling threshold renews each calendar year- so, if you haven’t crossed over the threshold within the calendar year, it renews back to zero. Also, the distance selling threshold excludes VAT. It is the net total (total sales excluding VAT).
At the moment, Amazon Netherlands is only a marketplace – there are no storage facilities, so it’s hard to see it included in the PAN EU program as the Pan EU is regarding fulfillment.
They are expanding the selection of products and will give access to the Sellers to sell on Amazon.nl having one EU seller account. A seller registered with one EU Seller Account will be able to sell on all six online stores (Amazon.nl, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.it and Amazon.fr).
According to Francesca, as there is no storage in the Netherlands and the seller sells under the DST, then there is no need for a VAT Registration.
Timeline of Amazon in the Netherlands
- 2014 — Amazon.nl launches in the Netherlands but only sells e-books. Dutch shoppers still need to use Amazon’s German site (Amazon.de) or shop with local eCommerce platforms for physical products.
- 2016 — Amazon.de introduces a Dutch language option.
- 2017 — Amazon.de offers Prime membership for its customers in the Netherlands.
- 2018 — Amazon.de introduces iDeal at checkout, which is the most popular payment method in the Netherlands.
- 2020 — Amazon.nl announces its plan to expand beyond e-books by late 2020.
Top 5 Amazon Competitors in the Netherlands
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- Bol.com — The leading online retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium with annual sales of approximately €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion). The platform offers over 6 million products in categories such as books, toys, and electronics, and will launch into fashion in early 2020.
- Coolblue — The biggest online retailer in consumer electronics in the Netherlands and Belgium, with annual sales of approximately €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion).
- Zalando — An online fashion retailer for men, women, and children. The platform carries over 1,500 brands and over 150,000 products.
- MediaMarkt — A global consumer electronics retailer with 800 stores in 13 countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, and Turkey.
- Wehkamp – An online retailer and home shopping platform for over 2,000 brands with 400,000 products.
How to Prepare Your Listing For Amazon Netherlands
Amazon is set to significantly disrupt the Dutch marketplace and the doors have opened for new sellers to register.
The question is: Will you be an early adopter and establish yourself as a category leader?
If you are already selling on other Amazon EU marketplaces there seems little reason why you wouldn’t sell on the Amazon Netherlands marketplace – we fully expect multi-channel management partners to start announcing support in the near future.
Don’t wait until the last minute — this is a huge opportunity for sellers looking to capture the Dutch market!
If you’re interested in learning more about listing optimization & translation differences in European markets, the USA & Japan, listen to my recent podcast episode with Bradley Sutton from Helium 10.
Also, when you begin selling items in a new marketplace, it doesn’t matter how many ratings you’ve received in your original marketplace. You will need to start from scratch when it comes to collecting seller feedback and product reviews in the new marketplace. FeedbackFive can help you gather ratings around the world, including in Amazon.nl
Not sure how to sell products in the Netherlands?
At YLT Translations, we have a team of native Dutch speakers and certified translators. We can help you translate and localize your product listings to convert new customers.
Want to sell in other European markets? We’ve got you covered there too. Our expert team of translators can provide fast, quality, and affordable translations in German, Italian, Spanish, and French. Check out our online store for more details.