Start Selling in the EU on a Budget
You do not need a European company, a warehouse or a lawyer to sell into the EU. You need a handful of registrations, and most of them cost less than sellers expect. This page lists what is mandatory, what is optional, and what each part costs.
1. What you cannot skip
Sell consumer products to EU buyers from outside the EU and three things apply from your first order, whatever your size.
An EU Responsible Person under the GPSR. Your products need a named contact inside the EU who holds the documentation and answers to the authorities. With us that is 150 euro per year for your whole company, with no limit on SKUs, listings or variants.
Packaging EPR in every country where your packaging reaches a consumer. At low volumes this runs from 150 to 200 euro per country per year. We arrange Germany and France ourselves; ask us about the other countries before you assume they are covered.
Customs clearance on every shipment that enters the EU. For shipments up to 150 euro this is around 3 euro per item, depending on volume.
2. What is optional, and when it pays off
A PPWR authorised representative under article 17, 150 euro per year, possible from 12 August 2026. The regulation says a producer may appoint one, not that it must. The reason to take it is practical: it keeps the packaging paperwork off your desk.
A labelling check per product line, 80 euro, once. One check is included at no cost with the Responsible Person service, so this is the price for extra product lines. We read your label and packaging against what the GPSR requires and flag environmental claims you cannot back up. It is cheaper than one blocked listing.
VAT registration per country, 300 euro per country. Whether you need this depends on where your stock sits and how you sell, so check before you pay for it. Some countries, Italy for example, also require a local fiscal representative, which costs around 1,000 euro per year.
3. What it costs, in one table
| Item | Mandatory | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| EU Responsible Person, GPSR | Yes | 150 euro per year, whole company |
| Packaging EPR, per country | Yes | 150 to 200 euro per year at low volumes |
| Customs clearance | Yes | About 3 euro per item, shipments up to 150 euro |
| PPWR representative, article 17 | No | 150 euro per year, from 12 August 2026 |
| Labelling check, per product line | No | 80 euro, one-off, first check included with the Responsible Person |
| VAT registration, per country | Depends | 300 euro per country, Italy also needs a fiscal representative at around 1,000 euro per year |
4. A realistic first year
One country, low volume: 150 euro for the Responsible Person plus 150 to 200 euro for packaging EPR. That is 300 to 350 euro per year, plus roughly 3 euro per item at customs. Add one labelling check and your first year lands between 380 and 430 euro.
Three countries: the Responsible Person stays at 150 euro, the packaging EPR multiplies. That is 600 to 750 euro per year. The registrations scale with countries, not with products.
5. Where sellers overspend
Paying per SKU. A Responsible Person contract covers a company, not a product. If you are quoted per listing, you are being sold the wrong thing.
Registering for VAT before it is needed. It is 300 euro per country you may not owe yet.
One technical file per colour. Variants of the same product with the same materials, use and test reports belong in one file.
Frequently asked questions
No. Your company can stay where it is, including the UK, Switzerland, India or the United States, and a sole trader is fine. What you need is an EU Responsible Person and the registrations that belong to your products and packaging.
Per company. Unlimited SKUs, listings and variants, and several brands of the same company are covered by the same contract.
In every country where your packaging reaches a consumer. Selling into three countries means three registrations. We arrange Germany and France ourselves; for other countries, ask us what is possible.
No. Article 17 says a producer may appoint one. It is a commercial choice, not a legal duty, and it exists to keep the documentation burden away from you.
No. The 150 euro per year is the whole price, and one labelling check is included at no cost. The only extra is having us draw up your technical files instead of making them yourself.
The first contact is included in the price. If a recall has to be organised, that work is charged at our hourly rate, after your approval.
Not sure which of these applies to you? Send us your product page or listing and we will tell you what is mandatory in your case, and what you can leave for later. Contact us