EU packaging rules (PPWR) apply since 12 August 2026 · day 53Check if it applies to you →
PPWR · since 12 Aug 2026 · Check if it applies to you →
Free 2-minute check →Get started →
Get started →
Menu
Free toolsDo I need a German EPR representative?German EPR deadlinesProvider price verificationResourcesProvider pricesDeadlines and finesDual-system licence ratesLUCID market sizeAll datasets →GuidesAnswersDo you need a German EPR representativeHow to choose a providerWhat German EPR costsAll guides →ReferenceFAQGlossaryVerpackDG § 5 explainedWho is the producer?Get started →
Home / Answers
Answer · Marketplace sellers
Open in ChatGPT

I sell on Etsy. Do I need EPR in Germany?

Yes, from your first parcel to a German buyer: LUCID registration, a dual-system licence, your LUCID number in Etsy, and since 12 August 2026 a German representative if your shop is based outside Germany.

By Razvan Toma · Founder · Last checked 3 October 2026 · Sources linked below

Quick answer

Yes. If you ship to buyers in Germany, German packaging law applies to your shop from the first parcel, however small you are. You register yourself in LUCID (free), license your packaging with a dual system, and add your LUCID number in Etsy under Shop Manager › Finances › Legal and tax information. If your shop is not based in Germany, since 12 August 2026 you also need a German authorised representative (Bevollmächtigter). Etsy's own help page tells sellers to appoint an authorised representative in EU countries where their business is not established.

What Etsy asks for

Etsy's seller handbook says that after you register in LUCID you must give Etsy your LUCID identification number, in Shop Manager under Finances › Legal and tax information. Etsy collects these numbers because Article 45(4) PPWR requires online platforms to obtain your registration details, and a self-certification that you meet the packaging rules, before letting you sell to consumers in Germany.

The steps

  1. Register in LUCID at verpackungsregister.org. It is free and you must do it yourself. You get a number starting with DE.
  2. License your packaging with a dual system: the box, paper, tape, filling and bags you send to German buyers, by material and weight.
  3. Add your LUCID number in Etsy under Shop Manager › Finances › Legal and tax information.
  4. If your shop is based outside Germany, appoint a German authorised representative by a written mandate in German, and name them in your LUCID entry.

What it costs a small shop

LUCID registration is free. The dual-system licence depends on the weight of packaging you send to Germany; for a small shop shipping a few kilos a year it is usually the system's minimum fee. A representative is a yearly fee on top; ours is €149 a year, with the dual-system fee passed through at cost.

More on marketplace sellers

All answers →

Selling into Germany from abroad?

The new EU packaging law (PPWR) has applied since 12 August 2026. Four questions tell you whether it makes you appoint a representative in Germany — including when it does not.

Free 2-minute check →Get started