Major update! Amazon Europe has significantly simplified the seller qualification review process (KYC) before going online!

Amazon Europe simplified seller qualification review process (KYC) before going online

For cross-border e-commerce sellers, Europe is a vast and rapidly developing market. Going online to Europe through Amazon has become a necessary step for many Chinese sellers and brands to expand their global business. However, in the past, completing rigorous KYC audit requirements before going online was an indispensable and necessary step for European site sellers.

What is the seller qualification audit (KYC)?

According to European laws and regulations, if a seller sells on or continues to sell on Amazon’s European site and earns trading profits, they need to provide Amazon with detailed information about their company and individuals, that is, the seller qualification audit (Know Your Customer, KYC).

Now, good news! Starting from now on, the KYC audit process for most new registered sellers on Amazon’s European site before going online will be greatly simplified.

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Previously, sellers had to submit multiple company and personal information for review before going online to Amazon’s European site. Now, after the process has been simplified, most sellers can switch to the European site on the seller platform and complete the beneficiary information after completing the registration and basic store qualification review, without submitting more materials. They can immediately start their sales journey on the European site through simplified review. The original audit time, which may have taken several weeks, will be greatly reduced.

For the vast majority of new sellers, compared to before, you can go online to the European site more quickly!

For sellers who already have other Amazon sites but have not opened the European site, you can also use your registered account to quickly go online to the European site according to the new process (log in to the European seller platform and update beneficiary information).

KYC audit is still required. In the following cases, sellers need to provide corresponding materials and information for KYC audit.

When the seller’s store account receives close to 15,000 euros in payment after opening for sales, the seller needs to provide more information for verification. During the verification process, the store can still sell normally, but the seller needs to pass the verification before the store receives 15,000 euros in payment, otherwise there may be restricted sales until you pass the verification and can reactivate the store to resume sales.

If the seller changes key information in the background, such as credit card information or beneficiary information, it may also trigger an audit. If an audit is triggered, the seller needs to provide materials as required to complete the audit as soon as possible, otherwise restricted sales may occur.

In addition, in other rare cases, based on the evaluation of the information provided by the seller on the platform, Amazon may require the seller to submit materials and information for verification before or after the seller goes online. At this time, the seller needs to complete the audit as soon as possible as required, otherwise the store may be restricted from sales.

Of course, sellers don’t need to worry too much. We provide comprehensive KYC clearance guidance to help sellers quickly complete KYC verification and sell smoothly.

Q

Why didn’t I receive a notification that I can start selling after updating beneficiary information and logging into the European backend, and still require me to provide more information for verification?

A

As mentioned above, after the simplification of this process, most sellers can directly start selling on the European site. However, because the seller’s company entity, legal representative, and other submitted information are different, some sellers will be randomly selected and still need to follow the previous process to submit materials and information for KYC verification. After passing the verification, they can go online and start selling.

Q

Have the materials and information required for KYC verification changed now?

A

In this change, we only simplified the verification process for most sellers before going online, but if a seller triggers an audit due to the above situations, the materials or information that the seller needs to submit are still the same as before.

Q

Will I receive an email or any performance notification if I am asked to submit materials or information for verification?

A

Yes, most sellers receive emails or performance notifications, which are the same as the previous KYC verification notifications. If you did not fill in all the beneficiary information during the registration stage, you will see a prompt box on the homepage when you first enter the European platform, reminding you to update the complete enterprise beneficiary information. After adding complete information, you may receive an email about the triggered KYC verification. The email will detail the materials or information requirements that you need to submit for verification. Please prepare the verification materials or information in a timely manner according to the requirements. You may also receive an email stating that “verification has been successfully completed and you can start selling”, which means you can directly start selling on the European marketplace.

Q

Will I be required to participate in KYC verification again after I start selling?

A

It depends on your specific situation.

If you have already started selling on the European platform, if you change key information on the seller platform, or if your collection approaches 15,000 euros, you will need to undergo KYC verification.

Q

After I start selling, will my account be suspended due to KYC verification?

A

If you are prompted to undergo KYC verification and fail to complete the corresponding verification as required, your account may be suspended. For example, if you are required to submit materials for verification because your collection approaches 15,000 euros, but you have not completed the verification when the collection has reached 15,000 euros, your account will be suspended and your products will temporarily be unavailable for sale. At this time, you can continue to submit materials or information for verification. After the verification is passed, your account will be reactivated, and your products will be available for sale again.

To help you get online on the European platform faster, you can also refer to the official listing, logistics, and compliance solutions provided by Amazon.

One-click synchronization of listings can help sellers sell goods faster.

Amazon provides various cost-effective logistics solutions such as Amazon Logistics Europe Integration Service (Pan-EU), European Fulfillment Network (EFN), etc. For example, Pan-EU helps sellers to warehouse in one country, sell in 8 European countries, and only charge local delivery fees, enjoying zero cross-border delivery fees.

Amazon provides one-stop solutions to help sellers solve problems such as European Value-Added Tax (VAT), German Packaging Law (LUCID), German Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), etc.

Help sellers expand their European business efficiently by selling one SKU to more than 30 countries and regions in Europe.

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