A Chinese company that decides to sell online in Europe usually begins with Amazon, because it is the name it knows. That is reasonable, and it is also why the other platforms are less crowded with sellers like you. In some countries a national marketplace is where the habit of the buyer sits, in others a retailer's own marketplace carries the category you sell. Nothing here is a ranking. The platforms below are where to look first, not a guarantee that any of them will take you, and the list will be out of date in places by the time you read it, so confirm each one on its own seller page.
Three kinds of platform, three kinds of admission
Open marketplaces let a verified business list products and compete on price and service; the filter is the verification, not the assortment. Curated marketplaces choose their sellers and brands, often by application, and decline by default; the filter is whether your range fits what the platform wants to show. Retailer marketplaces are an established retailer opening its catalogue to third parties, frequently on the same marketplace software as others, so the integration looks alike from one to the next even when the shops do not. A fourth group is made of platforms that started in China and recruit Chinese sellers actively. They are the easiest to enter and the most price-driven, and they fall under the same European rules as everyone else: nothing about their origin lifts your obligations on product safety, VAT or consumer law.
By country: where to look first
| Country | Platforms to look at | Where they are strong | What to confirm before applying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Otto, Kaufland, eBay | Otto: home, furniture, fashion, curated. Kaufland: broad range. eBay: used goods, spare parts, collectors' items | Whether sellers established outside the Union are admitted, and the German packaging register |
| Netherlands, Belgium | bol | The general marketplace of the Dutch-speaking buyer | Whether a Union-registered company and a VAT number are required, and the language of customer service |
| France | Cdiscount, ManoMano, Fnac Darty, Decathlon, Leroy Merlin | Cdiscount: general. ManoMano and Leroy Merlin: DIY, garden, tools. Fnac Darty: electronics, appliances, culture. Decathlon: sport | Whether the platform takes direct shipping from China or expects stock in Europe; French-language product data and after-sales |
| Poland | Allegro | The national general marketplace, with a buyer habit that is local before it is cross-border | Cross-border admission rules, Polish-language listings and support, and local delivery expectations |
| Spain | PcComponentes, El Corte Inglés, ManoMano | PcComponentes: technology. El Corte Inglés: department store range. ManoMano: DIY and garden | Whether each is open to outside sellers or works by invitation, and the Spanish-language return process |
| Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria | eMAG | The leading national marketplace in Romania, present in its neighbours | Which country sites accept your category, and local-language customer support |
| Czech Republic | Alza, Heureka | Alza: electronics retailer with third-party sellers. Heureka: price comparison where shops list their offers | Which of the two matches a seller with its own site, and the Czech-language requirement |
| Sweden, Nordics | Fyndiq, CDON | Generalist marketplaces for the Swedish buyer | Whether they are still open to new third-party sellers from outside the Union |
The table leaves countries out on purpose. A platform appearing here is not a recommendation, and a missing country does not mean there is no option: it means the honest answer needs local checking. Where a country has no national marketplace worth naming, the realistic route is usually a retailer's marketplace in the category, a sector platform, or a regional one that serves the same language.
By sector: the categories that have their own platforms
- DIY, garden and tools. ManoMano and the marketplaces of the big DIY chains. The buyer is a person doing a job and wants dimensions, compatibility and a delivery that arrives complete, so the product data matters more than the price.
- Fashion and footwear. Zalando, About You and similar. They are curated and they control how the brand is presented. Returns are part of the model rather than an exception, and the seller carries the cost of handling them.
- Electronics and computing. PcComponentes, Alza, Fnac Darty, MediaMarkt. The buyer compares specifications line by line and reads the conformity marking, the warranty and the repair arrangement before the price.
- Sport and outdoor. Decathlon's marketplace and specialist sites. A retailer that manages its own brand image and checks what is listed beside it.
- Home, furniture and design. Otto and platforms built around homes. Bulky goods raise delivery, assembly and return questions that the platform will ask you to solve before it lists you.
- Industrial and professional supplies. The marketplaces of electrical and industrial distributors, and procurement platforms. The buyer is a purchasing department with an approved-supplier process, and the article on B2B directories covers the places where these buyers look.
What each platform asks of a seller outside the Union
Under the European rules on online platforms, a marketplace has to collect and verify information about the business selling on it: name, address, contact details, an identity document, bank details, the trade register number, and a statement that the seller will offer only compliant products. That is why every application begins with documents, and why the article on trader verification applies to all of them. On top of that, expect a payout account that can receive the local currency, a VAT registration in the country where stock is held, the producer-responsibility numbers for packaging and electrical goods, and the name of an operator in the Union who answers for product safety. The Amazon article in this series sets out those points in detail.
The platforms then differ in what they add. Curated ones ask for the brand, a sample of the catalogue, and often a reason why you belong in their assortment. Retailer marketplaces ask for a product feed or an interface connection, with barcodes, structured attributes and images that follow their template. Almost all ask for customer service in the local language within a stated response time, a returns address inside the country or the region, and a delivery promise you can keep. Product data in the local language is where Chinese catalogues most often fail the first review: a machine translation of the factory description is recognised at once by the person reviewing it, and by the buyer after that.
How to choose a few, not all of them
- Start from where your buyer already searches, in their language and for your category, and not from a list of platforms. Search for the product the way a buyer would and note which marketplace keeps appearing.
- Read the seller conditions before the sales pitch: whether sellers outside the Union are accepted, how the commission is built, the payout currency and delay, who pays for returns, and what the platform may do with your listing data. Keep the page you read; terms change.
- Decide the logistics before applying: direct shipping from China with an honest delivery time, or stock in a European warehouse. Many retailer marketplaces effectively require the second, and the first is exposed to late-shipment penalties.
- Open one country first and serve it properly, including support and returns in the language. A second platform in the same country adds little; a second country adds a new language, new VAT and new rules.
- Prepare the product data once, in a structured form, with barcodes, attributes, dimensions and conformity documents, so that a second platform is an export and not a rewrite.
- Judge the result on orders, returns and the cost of handling them after a period you fixed in advance, not on visits or impressions.
Marketplaces are a way to be found where the buyer already is. They are not a way to own the customer: the platform holds the relationship, the reviews and the pricing context. Use one as the first sale in a country, keep the product data and the documents in your own hands, and build the site that the marketplace buyer can find when they look you up. A seller that exists only inside a platform's rules is one policy change away from having no business in that country.