Do I need a WEEE number to sell electrical goods online?

Q&A • Product law

Do I need a WEEE number to sell electrical goods online?

The answer depends on whether you count as a producer under the ElektroG. That happens faster than expected — importing from abroad or selling under your own brand is enough.

Short answer

  1. Anyone first placing electrical or electronic equipment on the German market counts as a producer and must register with stiftung ear.
  2. The WEEE registration number must exist before the first day of sale.
  3. The quantities placed on the market must be reported to stiftung ear on an ongoing basis.
  4. Batteries have been covered by the Battery Act Implementation Act (BattDG) since October 2025, with its own registration.
  5. Without registration you risk a sales ban, fines, warning letters and blocked marketplace accounts.

Who counts as a producer

  • You manufacture devices yourself and sell them under your own name.
  • You import devices from a non-EU country directly into Germany.
  • You buy within the EU and are the first to place the goods on the German market.
  • You have devices made under your own brand, even if a third party produces them.
  • If you buy from an already registered German producer, you are merely a distributor.

A practical example

Example: you import LED lamps from Asia and sell them in your own shop. That makes you a producer under the ElektroG: you need a WEEE number for the right device category, a guarantee covering disposal costs, and ongoing quantity reports. If the lamps ship with remote controls containing coin cells, battery registration is required on top.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the duty starts at a certain volume — it applies from the first device.
  • Registering the devices but forgetting the batteries supplied with them.
  • Choosing the wrong device category so the reports do not match the registration.
  • Not storing the WEEE number in the shop and on marketplaces, although it is required there.

How 4shopy helps

  • WEEE and battery registration numbers can be stored as required fields and printed in the legal notice.
  • Product-specific notices such as the crossed-out wheelie bin can be maintained per product.
  • Sales volumes per product can be exported, which shortens the quantity reporting considerably.

See also