eBay are reminding all sellers that there are important upcoming changes to how you sell goods to German buyers on eBay. The 2019 Packaging Act (VerpackG) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requires business sellers to license the packaging for their products and register with the LUCID database when they sell items to customers in Germany and, for eBay, to add your LUCID number to your account to show compliance.
There’s no way to dress this up other than a tax on selling – the packaging category includes both shipping packaging and product packaging so there’s literally no avoiding the tax unless you stop selling to Germany, and that’s not just on eBay, this applies to all of the channels you sell on.
The only good news is that for many sellers, it’ll could cost as little as €39.80 a year, but as France and other countries introduce similar environmental taxes the costs will start to add up.
You need to obtain a LUCID number and then your LUCID registration number and add it to your business profile in My eBay. You will see the LUCID Field under the Accounts tab, just after your business address.
eBay has a legal obligation to ensure that all B2C sellers are compliant. If you do not take the necessary steps by the deadline, eBay will be legally required to restrict your selling privileges for the German market.
Even when using services such as eBay international standard delivery or the eBay Global Shipping Program, packages need to be compliant when they get to eBay’s domestic hub; eBay won’t repackage any items.
Registering for a LUCID number
- Register online with the LUCID database and obtain a unique identification number.
- Create an account with a dual system. eBay recommend their licensing partner, Lizenzero, which offers a straightforward way to license your packaging digitally.
- Ensure your packing materials are recyclable.
- Add your LUCID number to your business profile on My eBay
5 Responses
Oh well, guess it will just be those business sellers who aren’t properly registered as business sellers (99% of ebay sellers it seems) will still be able to send to Germany. I won’t pay and I won’t jump through their ridiculous hoops either. If Germans love one thing it’s dictating to others.
Mind you, I don’t much like the mega corporate sellers either (your magpies and WoBs…)… in this climate, it’s incredible that someone like me can even still continue to run a business. Feels like the walls are closing in all the time, and all the criminal tax-dodgers are laughing at me.
Well that’s me finished with German selling then.
Auf widersehen
I used to have retail shops and moved to online for its ease of use and wider choice of customers. Time to move back I guess or move to a Digital only business . Politicians tax higher and higher to feed the need to fund their bottomless pit of needs and milk businesses by the backdoor method, since individual have votes to remove their politicians, to fund their obsessions. These cash-cows are running dry, mr politician.. and the “we will be happy to own nothing and be happy” did come true
Have to agree with the sentiments in these comments; it’s not even about the costs (although it doesn’t help small businesses), it’s the ever increasing layers of bureaucracy that get added year after year. I can see why some people see it as an agenda to wipe out small independent sellers.
I have filed with LUCID which is easy and free, and received a LUCID ID number which I have entered into ebay..no problem!
My question is does anyone know if I have to now start licensing my packaging with a dual system, if I don’t, will anyone know?
I have fulfilled my duty to my online platforms by entering a LUCID number so do I actually need to pay a fee to a dual system??