Amazon's Pan European Programme
AVASK have been working with Amazon for the past eight years, and we are experts in their Pan-European programme. We have already helped thousands of e-commerce sellers to grow and expand using this platform.
The options:
European Fulfilment Network (EFN)
VAT Registration
You only need to register in one country
Prime Eligible
Become Prime eligibility for fast delivery
Ship directly to Amazon
Ship your products to Amazon's fulfilment centre - simplifying your inventory management.
Local fulfilment fees
Pay local fulfilment fees on domestic orders
Sell using DST
Sell to customers in other countries using Distance Selling Thresholds (DST)
Multi-Country Inventory (MCI)
VAT Registration
Register in 2-5 countries
Prime Eligible
Enjoy Prime eligibility for fast delivery in those countries
Choose where you ship stock
Choose which countries you want to ship to and store your stock in
Local fulfilment fees
Pay local fulfilment fees for sales in the marketplaces where you store your stock (minimising cross-border fees)
Sell using DST
Sell to customers in other countries using cross-border fulfilment services under DST
Pan-EU
VAT Registration
Register in 7 countries
Prime Eligible
Enjoy Prime eligibility in all of Amazon's European marketplaces
Ship directly to Amazon
Ship your products to one of Amazon's fulfilment centres - Amazon will distribute your stock to meet the demand of your customers with no additional charges.
Local fulfilment fees
Pay local fulfilment fees in all marketplaces.
Product visibility
Better product visibility in all marketplaces
Tax requirements and obligations
Each level of the program will trigger different requirements and obligations that you will need to become compliant with very quickly.
EFN - European Fulfilment Network
One of the main benefits of trading under Amazon's European Fulfilment Network, or EFN, you will only need to initially register for VAT in one country. This is the perfect solution for smaller sellers, or for those wanting to test their product in the European marketplaces before expanding throughout the remaining countries.
When trading under EFN, you will enjoy Prime eligibility in the country you decide to register in. This gives you access to that highly coveted Prime badge, enabling your products to gain much better visibility within the marketplace.
You can also ship to one Amazon fulfilment centre and this will simplify your inventory management - as Amazon will take care of everything on your behalf. You will also only pay local fulfilment fees when sending your products within the country.
If you do end up selling your goods in other European countries, you will pay Amazon's cross-border fees, but you can trade using DST, which means you only pay the VAT in the country that you're registered in, instead of the destination country.
There are a couple of pit-falls using EFN if you're cross-border selling, If a customer returns your goods to Amazon, your goods will most likely be sent to Amazon's closest fulfilment centre, and this will trigger a VAT liability in that country.
You also need to keep track of the sales you've made under DST, as once you've breached the limit you will be required to pay VAT in the destination country. If AVASK are acting on your behalf for VAT filing and compliance, we will notify you automatically as you approach the limits.
MCI - Multi-country Inventory
If you are in the position to launch your products on a larger scale, then trading under Amazon's Multi-country Inventory, or MCI, initiative may be the solution for your business.
MCI allows you to register in multiple European marketplaces without having to launch in all marketplaces. Often thought as an intermediate step between EFN and PAN-EU, MCI gives you the option to target your products to specific marketplaces.
If you know that your product will work in 2-5 countries, then you can register for services and for VAT in these countries. You will enjoy Prime eligibility in those countries, which means your products will be seen first, by millions of loyal Amazon customers.
You will pay local fulfilment fees for sales in the countries and marketplaces you've selected to store your stock, which minimises cross border fees. You can also still sell to customers in other countries using DST, as you can under EFN.
As with EFN, there are a couple of things to watch while selling under MCI, including the DST of any marketplace you're cross border selling in but are not VAT registered in.
You will also be responsible for shipping your products to various Amazon fulfilment centres in different countries where you are selling, which is an additional cost that you will need to work into the cost of your product.
PAN-EU - Pan European
Amazon's top level fulfilment option will get your product in front of millions of loyal Amazon customers throughout all five European marketplaces, plus two additional countries, where Amazon stores and fulfils goods.
The main benefit of PAN-EU is that you gain access to all of Amazon's marketplaces in Europe and will also be Prime eligible in all of these countries. You will however need to register for VAT in all of the countries before you switch PAN-EU on, as you will immediately trigger VAT liabilities in all of these countries.
The PAN-EU programme makes perfect sense for sellers who are already established in Europe, as your products will immediately gain better visibility in all marketplaces and you will only attract local fulfilment fees, regardless of the country you're located in.
Simply deliver your goods to one of Amazon's fulfilment centres and their fulfilment algorithms will immediately start distributing your stock around Europe, closer to your customers. Amazon handles all the logistics, you don't need to worry about a thing.
You will in effect eliminate cross-border selling on the Amazon platform in Europe by signing up for the PAN-EU programme.
