Customer inquiries on OTTO: deadlines, the split with OTTO, and answers that save work

Who answers what

On the OTTO marketplace, OTTO and sellers share customer service. According to OTTO's partner presentation, OTTO answers all customer questions that don't need information from the seller – such as questions about the order or a cancellation. Anything OTTO's service can't resolve itself is forwarded to the seller: questions about the product, about delivery from your warehouse, spare parts or complaints.

For you as a seller that means: you don't see every customer question, but every one that requires knowledge of your product or your shipping.

OTTO's requirements

• German-language: according to OTTO's FAQ, sellers offer German-language customer service.
• 48 hours: OTTO's partner presentation (as of April 2024) specifies answering customer inquiries within 48 hours on working days.
• Availability: the same presentation requires an own after-sales service during regular business hours, at least Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00.
• Tracking: according to OTTO Market, tracking must always be guaranteed; for every order OTTO needs a shipment number for the outbound and the return leg.

The current 2026 presentations still list German-language service as a requirement. Check the exact deadlines in your partner contract.

The most common inquiries and how to resolve them

1. "Where is my order?" – with a correctly transmitted shipment number the customer can check themselves; most of these questions arise when the shipping confirmation is late or lacks a tracking number.
2. "How do I send this back?" – shoppers register returns in their customer account; OTTO generates the label and QR code from the return shipment number. The return window is 30 days. Details in Returns on the OTTO marketplace.
3. "Does the product fit …?" – dimensions, material, compatibility. Each of these questions reveals a gap in the description or attributes.
4. "The item arrived damaged." – besides replacement or return, you can grant a discount through the Price Reductions interface; OTTO creates a partial refund receipt for it.

Answers that save work

The fastest customer service is the one that isn't needed. Three levers:

• Realistic shipping profile: according to the API, the processing time per SKU is between 1 and 99 days or takes the profile's default. An over-optimistic value generates "where is …" inquiries.
• Immediate shipping confirmation: according to OTTO Market it must include the departure location, the carrier, the outbound shipment number and the return shipment number.
• Templates: for the five most common questions, five templates are enough – in German, formal address, with the order number.

Inquiries as a data source for better listings

Keep a simple list: product, question, answer. After four weeks you'll see which information is missing from the listing. Questions about dimensions or what's included belong in the product description and the attributes, questions about colour or finish in the product images. Every gap closed this way saves future inquiries and reduces returns.

Service, reviews and ranking

An unanswered customer rarely becomes a happy reviewer. Fast answers prevent poor product reviews, and reviews influence how often shoppers click your product in the result list. So besides response time, also watch the position of your most important products: if complaints about an item pile up, it often shows in the ranking shortly afterwards.

Customer service checklist

• German-language service, available at least Mon–Fri 9:00–16:00.
• Every inquiry answered within 48 hours on working days.
• Shipment numbers for outbound and return transmitted for every order.
• Templates for the five most common questions.
• Monthly review: which questions could the listing have answered?

With MarktRank you see in parallel whether products with many inquiries or complaints lose position in OTTO search – and whether listing improvements bring them back up.

Frequently asked questions