Overview

Amazon.de has started enforcing Germany’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Listings that do not show a valid WEEE registration number are being removed immediately, and the inventory tied to those listings is now classified as stranded. Sellers of electronics on the German marketplace must complete the required registration steps before their products can be sold again.

Key Points

• Immediate removal of non‑compliant listings — Any EEE product on Amazon.de lacking a current WEEE registration number was taken down without prior notice.
• Stranded inventory continues to accrue fees — Units stored in German fulfillment centers remain unsellable and generate ongoing storage charges.
• No grace period or exemptions — Listings stay offline until sellers finish the full compliance process and submit approved registration numbers.
• All sellers are subject to the rule — The enforcement applies to German‑based producers, EU sellers, and overseas merchants shipping into Germany.
• Three distinct compliance routes — Producers, international sellers without a German entity, and resellers each have a specific registration path to follow.

What's Changing

1. Listing deactivation — Amazon’s system now scans product detail pages for a valid WEEE registration number; if none is found, the listing is automatically hidden. Example: A US‑based seller offering Bluetooth speakers on Amazon.de saw the ASIN disappear the day the scan ran.
2. Compliance verification requirement — Sellers must prove they are registered with Stiftung EAR, Germany’s national WEEE authority, before the listing can be reinstated. Example: A German electronics brand submitted its registration for each model and had the listings restored within 48 hours.
3. Submission through Seller Central — After registration, the correct WEEE numbers must be entered in the EPR Compliance tool; premature entry before the numbers appear on the public Stiftung EAR portal leads to rejection.