The first new Amazon marketplace of 2021? Poland. On Wednesday, Amazon announced plans to expand into what Bloomberg calls “the booming $19 billion market.”
In Seller Central, Amazon.pl showed up as an option for sellers wishing to register for the new EU locale. Selling partners in Poland and around the world can now register their accounts on https://sell.amazon.pl in preparation for the launch.
Currently, Amazon.pl redirects to Amazon Germany, where Polish shoppers are already able to take advantage of Amazon’s European Fulfllment Network. In Poland, Amazon already has 10 fulfilment centres in operation to support EFN across the continent.
“Amazon has been supporting Polish customers for many years and helping to sell products of Polish entrepreneurs in our European stores,” Alex Ootes, VP for EU Expansion at Amazon said in a statement. “The next stage is the introduction of a full retail offer for consumers in Poland and it is now time to take this step.”
Amazon has been present in Poland since 2014, and has created over 18,000 permanent jobs at logistics and operation centres. Just this week, Amazon announced the building of another logistics centre in Świebodzin (bringing the country’s total to 10), which will be staffed by 1,000 employees and 3,000 Amazon Robotics robots. “The site will help meet growing customer demand, expand Amazon’s product offering, and support more third-party sellers under FBA. Recruitment for professional roles in engineering and operations has just started,” Amazon said.
Amazon rivals in Poland
Competition in Poland’s e-commerce sphere rests mostly with Allegro. The local company, which currently controls 36% of the segment, will face a direct threat from Amazon’s growth in the country. The announcement alone sent shares down 7%. AliExpress also operates in Poland and has expanded to meet global demand boosted by the rise in e-commerce since the pandemic began.
How to start selling on Amazon.pl
If you are a UK or EU Amazon seller looking to expand your business into the Polish market, eCommerce Nurse can help. Start by registering your account on https://sell.amazon.pl. Your existing Professional Selling plan will cover Amazon.pl with the same referral fees. If you do not see Amazon.pl as an option in the Seller Central drop-down menu, Amazon requests you fill out this survey with your Merchant Token for their team to make it available to you.
Prior to launch, sellers will need to think about a number of factors when expanding to any locale, including:
Currency: Poland is part of the EU, but uses the Polish Złoty (PLN) and not the Euro. Setting up your account correctly, using international listings, and keeping your financial accounting in order can help make the conversion process fairly straightforward.
Business registration and VAT compliance: Your products might be subject to Polish VAT in case you have given consent to Amazon to store your inventory in Amazon Fulfilment Centres in Poland either via enrolling to Pan-EU, the Central Europe Programme, or the Polish domestic FBA programme. In case you exceed the distance selling threshold of PLN 160K (approx. EUR 35K) for EU cross border sales to Polish customers (shipped from another EU country), you are required to be VAT registered in Poland and charge Polish VAT.
Learn more about the tax and reporting requirements here and here. If you have not yet provided your Polish VAT registration number on Seller Central, you can upload it here.
Consult with your tax adviser for any further questions you might have related to your business activities in Poland.
Brand Registry and trademark issues: Selling globally will affect your intellectual property and Brand Registry information on Amazon, as your home country’s laws and regulations will be different than the country where you're expanding. If your trademark is registered by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), select EUIPO as your trademark registrar in your application. If you are currently registered in the UK, you will need to register an EU trademark for Brand Registry in the EU. You can contact the Brand Registry team for specifics.
Preparing your listings: We recommend reviewing the Build International Listings tool in Seller Central. Keep in mind that for success in Poland (or any other marketplace), your listings, labels, and marketing activities will need to be properly translated and localised. There is a huge benefit to ensuring this is done correctly from the beginning. We do not recommend using automatic or machine-based translation if you're looking to maximise your potential and make expansion worthwhile.
Labelling, shipping, and logistics: Amazon FBA will operate in Poland and sellers will be able to benefit from the Pan-European FBA programme with domestic fees. You can find fees for Pan-EU in Seller Central.
Amazon has announced a webinar to learn more about the launch of Amazon.pl. Contact us for questions and more information about our services.