How does dropshipping work in Romania and is it legal?

Q&A • Business model

How does dropshipping work in Romania and is it legal?

Dropshipping is legal in Romania: you sell in your own name and the supplier ships directly to the customer. What is underestimated is that all obligations towards the consumer — invoice, 14-day return, warranty — stay with you, not with the supplier.

Short answer

  1. You are the merchant towards the customer, even if you never touch the goods.
  2. You issue the invoice, handle the 14-day return and answer for the warranty.
  3. For imports from outside the EU, VAT is due when the goods enter the Union.
  4. For parcels under €150, the IOSS regime lets you collect VAT at the sale, not at customs.
  5. Long delivery times from Asia are the main source of complaints and returns.

What the law says (in brief)

  • Dropshipping has no special regime: the usual trade and VAT rules apply.
  • Emergency Ordinance 34/2014 requires you to disclose the real delivery term correctly.
  • The 14-day withdrawal right applies even if the product ships straight from the supplier.
  • For imported goods with an intrinsic value under €150, the IOSS regime can be used.
  • Above €150, VAT and any customs duties are paid at import, not through IOSS.

Practical example

Example: you sell a 120 lei lamp shipped straight from a warehouse in Asia, with a 25-day lead time. The customer may withdraw within 14 days of receipt, and you must refund even if the supplier accepts no returns. For that reason your margin must also absorb a share of returns you carry alone.

Common mistakes

  • Advertising "3-day delivery" when the goods take three weeks from another country.
  • Believing the supplier answers for warranty and returns — the customer's contract is with you.
  • Not handling import VAT and getting goods stuck at customs or hit by unexpected costs.
  • Selling products without CE marking or Romanian instructions, for which you are liable.
  • Not checking the supplier's stock and cancelling orders that were already paid.

How 4shopy helps

  • Delivery options and terms you configure yourself, shown correctly at checkout.
  • Catalog import from a file, so you can refresh prices and availability quickly.
  • Orders land in 4invoices as invoice drafts (optional connection), even when the goods ship from elsewhere.
  • A return flow with an online form and a credit note, for the inevitable cases.

See also