To sell on OTTO in 2026, you need a company with an eligible EU legal form, a VAT ID from an eligible country, German-language customer service and a warehouse in Germany or elsewhere in the EU. OTTO opened to sellers from several EU countries this year, but it still publishes no route for UK or other non-EU companies without an EU entity. Expect a monthly base fee, a commission on every sale and an individual review of your application.
At a glance
- Market: Germany only (otto.de). OTTO says it has more than 13 million active customers.
- Who can register: companies from Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and France, with a Danish pilot for selected partners from November 2026.
- Cost: EUR 99.90 plus VAT per month, plus category commission on each sale (fees as published in November 2026).
- Must have: German-language customer service and dispatch from a German or EU warehouse.
- Worth knowing: OTTO’s Go-Live Incentive for European partners closes on 30 November 2026.
Who can sell on OTTO in 2026
OTTO Market was built for German businesses. Its official seller site sets out the original rule: a German legal form, a German VAT ID and a registered seat in Germany. Small businesses using the Kleinunternehmer scheme under §19 UStG are excluded.
The 2026 opening to other EU countries
According to Händlerbund, Dutch companies were admitted from around March 2026 without needing a German branch, provided they take part in the OSS VAT scheme. Ecommerce News Europe reported a Polish pilot from June 2026. OTTO’s own homepage now says companies from the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and France can register, and that Danish companies can join a pilot starting in November with selected partners.
The official OTTO FAQ lists a slightly different set of eligible legal forms and VAT IDs, with Spain and Denmark treated differently from the homepage. If your plan depends on a Spanish or Danish entity, confirm current terms with the marketplace before you commit.
What this means for UK brands
We found no published route for UK or other non-EU companies. Every route OTTO describes requires an EU legal form and an EU VAT ID with OSS, so a UK brand would normally need an entity in one of the eligible countries. Take tax and legal advice before setting one up, and if Germany is your main goal, compare this with selling on Amazon Germany from the UK.
OTTO is a curated marketplace
OTTO reviews every application individually against high product-quality standards. Treat it like a retail pitch rather than a form.
Documents and onboarding steps
Gather the following before you start.
- Full company name with legal form, address and legal-form data, which OTTO checks against the German Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).
- Details for the KYC checks run by OTTO Payments: company identification, a credit check, identity checks on relevant persons and a risk classification.
- Identity verification by video ID, eID or at a post office. Legal representatives must verify by video, and holders of Prokura do not count as legal representatives.
- Compliance declarations where they apply: WEEE registration under ElektroG §17, your packaging register (ZSVR) number and an FSC number.
- Two-factor authentication on the seller account, which is mandatory.
- A German-language customer service process.
- A dispatch warehouse in Germany or the EU, and a returns warehouse in an accepted country.
OTTO states no fixed approval time. Its FAQ only says the review “may occasionally take a bit more time”, so build a buffer into your launch plan.
Packaging deserves early attention. The German packaging register (ZSVR) says that from 12 August 2026, foreign companies without a German branch that sell packaged goods directly to German consumers must appoint an authorised representative. Our guide to LUCID registration and the packaging law covers the steps, and the same product-safety rules apply as on Amazon, set out in our GPSR guide for marketplace sellers.
OTTO fees in 2026
OTTO charges a monthly base fee plus commission on each sale. The figures below are fees as published in November 2026, and OTTO has changed its fees several times since 2024.
Monthly base fee
The base fee is EUR 99.90 plus VAT per month, whatever the size of your range. It starts once you can technically sell, and you can cancel with one month’s notice to the end of a month. Händlerbund reported that the fee rose from EUR 39.90 to EUR 99.90 on 1 August 2024.
Commission
Commission is a category rate per product sold, plus VAT. It is calculated on the sales price plus shipping, both including VAT, and it already includes a 2.7% payment fee. In some categories the rate is tiered, so different rates apply to different portions of the price, and OTTO invoices weekly.
| Category | Portion of price | Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Drugstore and beauty | Up to EUR 10 | 8% |
| Drugstore and beauty | EUR 10 to 15 | 12% |
| Drugstore and beauty | Above EUR 15 | 15% |
| Supplements | All prices | 15% flat |
Source: OTTO Drugstore category page, fees as published in November 2026.
As an illustration, a beauty product sold for EUR 20 with free delivery would pay 8% on the first EUR 10, 12% on the next EUR 5 and 15% on the final EUR 5. That is EUR 2.15, or about 10.75% of the gross price, before VAT on the commission.
Other categories have their own bands. According to Händlerbund’s October 2024 report, jewellery ran from 22% on the portion up to EUR 100 down to 18% above EUR 200, and clothing from 17% up to EUR 25 down to 14% above EUR 75. We could not verify a full official list for every category, so check your own category’s rate with OTTO before you price.
OTTO’s official pages mention no listing fees.
Fulfilment, shipping and returns
We found no OTTO-run fulfilment service. You ship orders yourself, or through a 3PL, from a warehouse in Germany or the EU using DHL, DHL Express, GLS, Hermes, UPS or DPD.
Customers start returns in their OTTO account, and OTTO generates a PDF return label valid for 14 days. Each return must carry a Return-Tracking-Number. Returns to a German warehouse use DHL, GLS or Hermes.
Returns to a warehouse elsewhere in the EU use DHL eCommerce only, and a standard DHL contract is not enough. Accepted returns countries are Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic.
OTTO Payments takes on the customer’s payment-default risk, and payouts arrive weekly on Thursdays.
Integration and listings
OTTO has its own API and a partner portal, OTTO Partner Connect, plus a directory of service partners. You can also use providers outside that directory. Confirmed connectors include Channable, ChannelEngine, JTL Software and Base (Baselinker).
The storefront serves German customers only, so plan German product content built on German search terms.
Advertising on OTTO
OTTO offers Sponsored Product Ads in top search positions, product lists and detail pages, plus Sponsored Display Ads on site and across what it describes as more than 1,500 premium web and app offerings off site. Other options include discount promotions, Rich Content, live shopping and newsletter marketing. OTTO says Rich Content can deliver “up to 5% higher conversion rate”.
Ad pricing is not published, and OTTO Advertising quotes on request. You can run ads yourself in OTTO Partner Connect or use OTTO’s managed service.
The Go-Live Incentive
Under OTTO’s Go-Live Incentive, new partners based in Europe outside Germany who join by 30 November 2026 and go live in under 10 weeks have their Sponsored Product Ads spend doubled for the first three months. Separate terms apply. If you are close to ready, it is a reason to move now.
Ads work best alongside organic rank. We built MarktRank.de, an OTTO rank tracker, because we needed to see keyword positions for our own clients, and our PPC management service uses that data to set bids.
Is OTTO the right first step?
OTTO suits brands with a quality range, German-language support and EU stock. For wider reach from one account, read our guide to selling on Kaufland, or our comparison of the best European marketplaces to sell on. Our OTTO marketplace management team handles applications, listings and day-to-day running, as part of our wider EU marketplace management.
Frequently asked questions
Can a UK company sell on OTTO?
We found no published route for UK companies. OTTO’s eligibility lists require an EU legal form and an EU VAT ID with OSS, so a UK brand would normally sell through an entity in an eligible EU country. Confirm current terms with OTTO and take tax advice first.
How much does it cost to sell on OTTO?
OTTO charges a base fee of EUR 99.90 plus VAT per month and a category commission on each sale, which includes a 2.7% payment fee. These are fees as published in November 2026. Check your category’s rate before pricing.
How long does OTTO take to approve a seller?
OTTO publishes no fixed approval time. Each application is reviewed individually, and the FAQ says the review may occasionally take longer, so leave room in your plan.
Does OTTO offer a fulfilment service like FBA?
We found no OTTO fulfilment service. Sellers ship from their own or a 3PL warehouse in Germany or the EU, using carriers such as DHL, GLS, Hermes, UPS or DPD.
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