Amazon Export Central to Simplify International Selling

Amazon has launched Export Central, a tool designed to help Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN) sellers expand to 39 European countries, even in countries without Amazon stores, such as Austria, Portugal, and Greece.

This means that a customer in Austria can purchase your products through amazon.de, making your offers accessible to millions of potential buyers across Europe and beyond.

With just three clicks, sellers can reach new markets without creating additional accounts or listings. This significantly simplifies logistics and offers growth opportunities, especially for sellers navigating complex VAT regulations.

Amazon’s VP of Seller Services Europe, Xavier Flamand, noted that Export Central helps remove many of the traditional barriers to international selling, allowing sellers to focus on their products rather than logistics.

Key Features of Export Central

• Countries Covered: MFN sellers can now connect with customers across 39 European countries, including countries that don’t have a dedicated Amazon store.

• Simplified Logistics: Sellers simply need to input their international shipping rates and transit times, while Amazon offers default settings for convenience. However, you can fully customize these settings to suit your business needs, giving you greater control over your shipping options.
• Resource Centre: There are resources in the Knowledge Centre that help with Compliance, VAT, International Shipping, and Returns.

How Export Central Works

1. To get started with Export Central, visit the Export Central page, review your seller-fulfilled export opportunities, and familiarize yourself with key elements like VAT for international sales, shipping, and returns.
2. When you’re ready to proceed, click “Start.”
3. Select the European countries you wish to ship to and the stores from which you’ll dispatch your products. Amazon Export Central will then propose a set of standard shipping settings based on your selections, which you can customize before finalizing your enrollment.
4. Click “Continue” to review and confirm the settings. Once the settings are complete, Export Central will activate the international shipping options for all your existing standard templates according to the configurations you’ve chosen. You will handle everything from shipping to returns.
5. If needed, you can manually adjust any template from Shipping Settings in Seller Central, but remember that changes will need to be applied to each store individually.

VAT Compliance Considerations

One critical aspect of selling internationally is VAT compliance. Sellers using Export Central need to ensure they comply with the VAT requirements in the countries they are shipping to. The good news is that Amazon provides resources, like the Union One-Stop Shop (UOSS), to simplify VAT compliance, especially for sellers navigating the various regulations across Europe.

Ensuring VAT compliance is essential for sellers to avoid legal issues and business disruptions. To make this process easier, Amazon encourages sellers to review the VAT requirements for each country before shipping. Their Knowledge Centre offers valuable resources to guide you through these requirements, so you’re well-prepared without feeling overwhelmed.

Impact of Export Central on Sellers

• Potential 10% Sales Increase: Amazon reports that sellers who enable Export from their European stores can experience an average sales uplift of up to 10%. The reported increase is due to sellers accessing new markets, though actual growth may vary depending on factors such as product categories and target markets.
• Ease of Expansion: MFN sellers will find Export Central particularly advantageous. It simplifies the logistics of expanding into new European markets by offering reduced complexity in setting international shipping settings. This streamlined expansion into new markets could lead to higher visibility and increased sales.
• Broader reach without duplicating listings.
• New Opportunities: Access untapped customer bases where Amazon does not have a physical store.

Export Central Drawbacks

• Shipping Logistics: MFN sellers remain responsible for managing their shipping rates and times.
• VAT Compliance and International Returns: Sellers must ensure VAT compliance in destination countries, a process that can be complex for those unfamiliar with European tax regulations. Additionally, sellers are responsible for managing international returns, which can add another layer of complexity to their operations.

Note: The US and EU operate under regulatory frameworks that are unique compared to other regions, presenting challenges for businesses that are new to these markets. For instance, in the EU, product safety requirements prioritize pre-market testing and conformity assessments to ensure products meet safety standards before reaching consumers, as mandated by the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). In contrast, the US regulatory approach emphasizes post-market surveillance, with agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) focusing on monitoring products once they are on the market and taking enforcement actions such as recalls if safety issues emerge.