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All You Need to Know Before You Start Selling on Kaufland.de
Kaufland.de is a dynamic online marketplace, which offers extensive opportunities for new retailers. In this article, we want to discuss in detail how to set up an account on the platform and to verify it. Check out what documents you need to submit to start selling on Kaufland.de.
In this article, you will find out what formal and legal requirements you need to fulfil to start selling on Kaufland.de:
What Formal Requirements Do You Need to Fulfil to Start Selling on Kaufland.de?
You need to submit the following documents to set up the account:
- Official confirmation of the company’s registration—a current excerpt from CEIDG [Polish Central Registration and Information on Business] /KRS [Polish National Court Register] and its translation into English certified by a sworn translator. A ready-made printout in English can be downloaded from the government website in the case of an extract from CEIDG. If you want to set up an account for a civil partnership, you need to provide the contract of incorporation.
- Statement of company bank account (first page) showing:
- bank logo,
- telephone number and address of the bank,
- data of the account holder,
- IBAN and SWIFT of the bank account.
- The following details of the company’s beneficiaries:
- names and surnames.
- dates and places of birth,
- places of residence,
- photographs of their identity cards.
- Table of shares in English or German.
- Entry in the VAT PL OSS or VAT DE register.
- Confirmation of participation in the dual system (another ‘overlay’ on LUCID – you can read more about this here).
What is the Step-by-Step Process for Verifying a Seller Account?
- Together with the registration form, you need to submit a set of documents, which will be used for the verification.
- Then, the verification process will be carried out. The way it is done depends on the type of business it concerns (see below).
- The verification team will send you first feedback within 3 days.
- The Support may request additional documents or specific information in certain cases.
- We are given a decision on whether you passed the whole process.
Account Verification Methods for New Sellers on Kaufland.de
The next step in the registration process is account verification.
There are 2 methods for this. The legal personality of the account owner is what determines which method the platform will apply.
Verification of Accounts Set Up for a Natural Person or Sole Proprietorship
When opening an account for an individual or a sole proprietorship, they must have a short video conversation with a support staff member in English or German. Kindly note that Kaufland requires a basic knowledge (verbal) of the above-mentioned languages. If the verification team is unsure about our language skills, they may reject the verification request.
What Is Video-Verification of the Account?
The verification process via call is used to confirm the data used to register an account.
If you do not successfully complete this process, your account will not be activated.
During the call, the accuracy of the information entered during registration is checked. A 3D face scan is used for this purpose. The identity card is scanned as well.
The first unsuccessful attempt does not immediately result in a closed route to Kaufland, as the verification can be repeated. However, it is important to note that after several failures, the Support is entitled to close the registration process. In this case, you will have to re-start the account creation process from scratch. It means a necessity to submit a new registration form.
Verification of Accounts Set Up For the Company
When registering an account for a company, it is not necessary to go through a video call with Kaufland.de support to verify the account.
We immediately proceed to the next step. If all the relevant documents have been uploaded, the first information about the verification status should appear in the registration form within 3 days. Once the platform staff decides that we have provided all the necessary documents, the account will be activated. Otherwise, we will receive a detailed list of items that we need to submit to Support.
How Long Is The Kaufland.de Verification Process? What Does It Depend On?
The verification process typically takes a minimum of 3 days. Its length depends a lot on how quickly we respond to questions from the Support. They are sent to the email address with which we registered the account. As such, it is recommended that you check your inbox daily during the account creation process.
In addition to poor responsiveness, the most common error is the inconsistency of the data in the documents or the discrepancy between them and the information in the online registers (e.g. National Court Register)
The most important task for the person setting up the account is to ensure that all details related to the verification process are correct. Even the smallest discrepancy can slow down the entire process. In extreme cases, it can prevent the verification’s completion.
What Legal Texts Are Required to Start Selling on Kaufland.de?
The e-commerce market is constantly developing, and the legal regulations for online sales are constantly being updated. Unfortunately, retailers are still not fully aware of the obligations imposed on them when it comes to sales documentation. Similarly, they do not know the consequences of failing to provide them.
The following legal texts must be included in the account to start selling on Kaufland.de:
- Footer/Impressum,
- Terms & Conditions,
- Privacy Policy,
- Return Policy.
The documents listed above are required for both an online shop and a marketplace. And please be aware that if we operate on a sales platform (such as Amazon), our legal texts must comply with its terms and conditions.
It is worth highlighting that we can use a legal text generator to obtain legal texts that are correct and tailored to our needs.
Company Footer—Requirement Imposed by the Omnibus Directive
The Omnibus directive has made the footer an indispensable element of legal texts. It introduces the obligation to inform the consumer about the person from whom the goods are purchased via an online marketplace. Bear in mind that the buyer will not be covered by consumer protection if they enter into a sales contract with an individual rather than a trader.
What Do We Need to Include in the Terms and Conditions of Sale?
The obligation for the terms and conditions of sale arises from the Act on Special Terms and Conditions of Consumer Sales and Article 8(1) of the Act on the Provision of Electronic Services. Remember that the rules are intended to provide a sense of security for both the seller and the buyer.
The terms and conditions should address issues relating to:
- when the sale is concluded and ownership of the products passes to the buyer,
- available methods of payment and delivery,
- complaints and guarantees,
- the language of the contract,
- methods of alternative dispute resolution, including the choice of a consumer court.
It is worth including a glossary in the contract, which will help us to maintain clear and understandable communication with the customer. We may also include a return policy in the terms and conditions. However, nothing prevents us from detailing it in a separate document. It is vital to note that marketplaces, such as Kaufland.de, often require a detailed content of the returns policy.
Privacy Policy Under GDPR
The posting of the privacy policy allows us to fulfil our obligations towards the users of the sales platform. This requirement is imposed by the GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC).
To ensure compliance with the GDPR, our privacy policy should consider the following:
- Identification of the data controller and their contact details.
- Contact details of the Data Protection Officer—if one has been appointed.
- Information on what data is being collected and for what purpose.
- The legal basis for the data processing.
- Details on the processing and possible transfer of the data. Additionally, a designation of the entities to which the data may be disclosed.
- Information on the rights of persons using the shop or marketplace, in particular the right to be forgotten.
- The retention period of personal data.
Furthermore, the Omnibus Directive has confirmed the need to include information on profiling and automated decision-making.
What Issues Does a Seller Need to Address in a Returns Policy?
The returns policy is intended to provide the seller with protection against unfounded returns.
It is possible to incorporate the returns policy into the terms and conditions of sale. You can also draw up a separate document. The returns policy should specify the period of time within which the customer may return the product without giving a specific reason. Return period must be at least 10 days according to EU norms. Yet, the returns policy regulation is semiimperative, i.e. it only imposes a minimum obligation on the seller regarding the return period. Consequently, it can be extended at the seller’s own discretion or in accordance with the platform’s terms and conditions (for example, it is 30 days on Amazon).
Do you want to learn more on Amazon Returns Policy? Read our article on this topic.
Another important issue is to indicate who is responsible for paying for the return. The traders are entitled to charge the consumer for the return. But they can also take a pro-consumer stance and provide the customer with a prepaid return label. In this way, they charge themselves for the return costs.
Shipping of Goods
The trader’s tax registrations are another issue that the returns policy must specify. Remember, you can only store goods in another country provided that we are VAT registered there. If we don’t have VAT DE, the return of a Kaufland.de purchase should go to Poland.
Returns are most at risk if we use the FBA model and do not have a local VAT number. In such a case, customers send the goods back to the Amazon’s warehouse. And the platform stores them on behalf of a company which actually has no authority to do so.
How Much Does It Cost to Start Selling On Kaufland.de?
The basic fee that a seller has to pay is a monthly account fee (subscription).
Monthly Fees on Kaufland.de
You can choose between 2 sales plans:
- With the Basic Plan (EUR 39.95), you receive the following
- three countries for one fee,
- unlimited number of products,
- access to ADS support, marketing and automatic pricing,
- personal service from the platform.
- The Basic + Linking plan (EUR 49.90) differs from the Basic Plan in that we can add a link to the online shop outside the platform on the shop page on Kaufland.de.
Would you like to find out more about what Kaufland.de proposes to retailers in terms of marketing, offer listing and customer service? Read our article on why it is worthwhile to start selling on Kaufland.de
When you sign up for an account, you choose a sales plan. However, you can change it before the start of each settlement period (e.g. every month)
Moreover, you will receive a 30-day trial period once you start selling on Kaufland.de (German market)
Afterwards, the fee indicated in the screenshot will apply (including selling on Czech and Slovak markets).
Conclusions
The key to setting up an account on the Kaufland.de platform quickly is to carefully prepare the necessary documents. This includes both the ones used to verify the identity of the seller and the documentation necessary to fulfil the requirements of the law.
Dear Seller! Do you need help with registering an account on Kaufland.de? Do you want to be sure that the whole process is carried out quickly and error-free? Fill in our form and schedule a meeting with our specialists.
