Selling on Amazon Europe: An Insider’s Guide from Amazon’s Head of Global Selling

For successful US-based Amazon sellers, the question of international expansion looms. The European market, with its massive customer base, is a tempting next step, but it often comes with questions about complexity, regulations, and whether the effort will pay off. Is it possible to replicate your US success across the pond?

To get a clear answer, we sat down with the person who lives and breathes this process every day: Mike Stiles, Amazon’s Head of US to EU Global Selling. In our interview at Amazon Accelerate 2025, he broke down the strategic thinking, operational hurdles, and insider tools that can turn European expansion from a daunting challenge into a powerful growth lever.

This isn’t a generic tutorial. This is a strategic guide on how to sell on Amazon Europe, built on an insider’s perspective on the opportunities, the challenges, and the playbook for success.

Sizing Up the European Opportunity

Many sellers hesitate to expand because they fear starting from scratch. According to Stiles, that’s the wrong way to think about it. The foundation you’ve built in the US is your single greatest asset.

“Amazon has created our global stores to be as consistent of an experience as possible,” Stiles explains. “The benefit of that is that sellers can apply the same strategy, tactics, and roadmap that they have been successful with here on .com and apply those to their next global store.”

The opportunity isn’t just about consistency; it’s about scale. Once you’re established, you unlock access to a massive and engaged customer base.

• Unprecedented Reach: Your products become available to consumers from 30 different countries across Europe.
• High-Value Customers: Stiles notes that “the average spend per customer is higher in the UK and Germany than other global stores… second only to the US.”

This combination of a familiar selling environment and a high-spending customer base is why third-party sellers are the engine of Amazon’s global growth, now accounting for over 60% of all sales on the platform.

A US Seller’s Playbook for European Expansion

While your overall strategy remains the same, executing it in Europe requires navigating a few key operational differences. Stiles identifies three core areas US sellers need to master: VAT, compliance, and fulfillment.

Understanding VAT and Product Compliance

The two biggest hurdles for sellers are taxes and regulations, which are outside of Amazon’s direct control.

1. Value Added Tax (VAT): Think of VAT as Europe’s equivalent of sales tax, but applied at each stage of the supply chain. “You’ll need a VAT number for where you’re storing product there, whether it’s the UK or Germany,” Stiles says. This is a non-negotiable first step.
2. Product Compliance & Language: The rules for product safety, labeling, and even ingredients can vary from country to country. The UK may have different requirements than Germany, which might differ from France. Your listings must also be professionally translated and localized for each marketplace to ensure customers can find and understand your products.

Fortunately, you don’t have to become an expert overnight. Stiles points to Amazon’s Service Provider Network, a curated list of vetted third-party experts who can handle everything from VAT registration to compliance checks, making the process far more manageable.

Choosing Your European FBA Strategy

Just like in the US, FBA is the key to offering customers the fast, reliable shipping they expect. However, FBA in Europe works a bit differently. Stiles outlines two primary models:

• European Fulfillment Network (EFN): This is the ideal entry point. You ship your inventory to a fulfillment center in one country (e.g., the UK), and Amazon fulfills orders across all its European stores from that single location. While delivery times to other countries may be slightly longer, your listings will still carry the powerful FBA Prime badge.
• Pan-European (Pan-EU) FBA: This is the model for scaling. You send your inventory to one designated fulfillment center in an EU country (like Germany or France), and Amazon automatically distributes your stock across the continent, placing it closer to where customer demand is highest. Stiles calls Pan-EU FBA one of the most significant programs he’s seen, especially since post-Brexit changes made it more flexible. “Now it’s more of an a la carte [system],” he notes, meaning you can enable it country by country instead of needing VAT numbers for all seven countries at once.

Watch the full interview with Mike Stiles to learn more about Amazon’s vision for global selling:

Mastering Your Launch and Beyond

Once you’re registered and your inventory is in place, the real work begins. Success isn’t passive; it requires a focused effort right from day one.

Winning the “Golden 90” Days

Stiles refers to the first 90 days after launch as the “Golden 90.” This is your brand’s grand opening in a new market, and it’s a critical window to build momentum.

“A lot of things need to happen during that time,” he advises. “Your product listings, your descriptions, your language, your detail pages—making sure all of those things are really fine-tuned.”

During this period, sellers should aggressively apply the same growth tactics that worked for them in the US. This includes:

• Running Sponsored Products campaigns to drive initial discoverability.
• Using coupons and promotions to encourage the first sales and reviews.
• Closely monitoring performance and making rapid adjustments.

Using Data to De-Risk Your Expansion

In the past, sellers had to guess which products would perform well in Europe. Now, Amazon provides tools to make this a data-driven decision. Stiles highlights the Marketplace Product Guidance tool, available within the “Sell Globally” workflow in Seller Central.

“Sellers are able to go into the portal, look at their selection, click on different target stores, and figure out category insights,” he says. The tool provides data on whether demand is high, if category restrictions apply, and even offers forecasts for unit sales and revenue. This allows you to build a business case for expansion before you ever ship a single unit.

Your European Expansion Awaits

Expanding your business from the US to Europe is no small feat, but it’s more accessible today than ever before. By leveraging the consistency of the Amazon platform, preparing for the key operational differences, and executing a strong launch plan, you can unlock a vibrant new market for your brand. With the right strategy, your success on Amazon.com can be the blueprint for your success across the globe.