How to sell on OTTO: becoming a seller on otto.de, step by step

Who can sell on otto.de?

For sellers from Germany, OTTO requires a German legal form, a German VAT ID and a registered office in Germany; small businesses under § 19 UStG are excluded. Companies from the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and France can also register, each with a registered office, legal form and VAT ID of their own country and participation in the OSS scheme.

According to OTTO, all sellers also need German-speaking customer service, shipping from a warehouse in Germany or the EU, and returns accepted in Germany or one of the countries OTTO lists. Check the current conditions on otto.market before you apply.

Steps 1–3: application, access and security

1. Application: via the registration form. OTTO reviews every application individually before allowing a connection.
2. Access to OTTO Partner Connect: after a successful application, your login details arrive by email.
3. Two-factor authentication: with an authenticator app; every login then needs a six-digit code.

Steps 4–6: contracts and identity check

4. Contracts: you accept the contracts with Otto GmbH & Co. KGaA and the payment framework agreement with OTTO Payments GmbH. Check the company name and VAT ID shown in the portal first.
5. Details for the identity check: applicant, company, payment data, legal representatives and beneficial owners, plus documents such as proof of a bank account.
6. Identity check by OTTO Payments: up to 15 working days according to OTTO, covering company and person identification, a credit check and risk classification.

According to OTTO, the monthly base fee starts once you are connected to OTTO Payments. More in OTTO marketplace fees.

Steps 7–8: company and logistics details

Next you add tax details, the seller name for the imprint, compliance information (such as packaging scheme participation) and a contact email. For logistics you name your carriers and shipping costs and create at least one shipping profile – shipping method, processing time, cut-off time and transit time.

Steps 9–10: listing products and going live

You add products manually in the partner portal or upload them through the OTTO Market API (see OTTO Partner Connect). OTTO recommends a test order. Until you start selling, your products are not visible in the app or on the website. "Jetzt mit dem Verkauf starten" makes them orderable.

What matters after launch

Orderable doesn't mean found. Check right after launch where your products rank for your most important search terms, and optimise titles and product data. How: visibility for new products on otto.de and otto.de SEO.

Frequently asked questions