One involves verifying UK Establishment status for sellers with UK business. Many sellers recently received official emails from Amazon asking them to confirm their establishment status. The other is a return policy adjustment for the German site: starting September 1, the default return period for multiple categories will revert to the statutory EU 14-day withdrawal right.

One affects how VAT is handled on UK orders, while the other impacts after-sales rules. Sellers preparing for the peak season in the second half of the year need to pay early attention.

01

Amazon verifies "Primary Operating Address"

Recently, sellers told Cifnews that they have been receiving official emails from Amazon titled "Proof of UK Establishment for tax purposes by 15 September 2026".

According to the email, this verification mainly confirms whether a seller qualifies as a UK Establishment for UK tax purposes.

Amazon states that under UK VAT on e-Commerce (VOEC) rules, the platform must collect and remit VAT on goods sold to UK consumers by non-UK establishments. Therefore, the platform needs to identify the seller's establishment status to determine tax handling for future UK orders.

The email mentions that after reviewing account information, Amazon believes some sellers "may not be a UK Establishment for UK tax purposes" and thus initiates this confirmation for those accounts.

There is more than one way to handle this confirmation.

According to the email, sellers who meet the UK establishment criteria need to submit relevant supporting documents as required in Seller Central. Amazon states it will complete review within three business days upon receiving all required information.

Sellers who are not a UK establishment need to follow the instructions in Seller Central to confirm their information and complete verification of their "Primary Operating Address".

The Primary Operating Address refers not to the registered address on the business license, but to the place where the enterprise actually conducts operations, such as the location of team office, order processing, or customer service operations.

One seller told Cifnews that upon first reading the email, they thought the platform required all sellers to prove they were a UK establishment. After careful reading, they realized the email actually offers two paths: those who qualify submit documents, while those who do not simply complete identity confirmation and primary operating address verification as instructed.

More sellers are concerned about whether their account will be affected if they fail to complete the confirmation.

Amazon mentioned in the email that sellers can continue selling even if they do not complete the requested actions. However, if a seller fails to complete the required actions by 15 September 2026, or does not meet the UK establishment criteria, Amazon will collect and remit VAT on orders for goods sold to UK consumers.

In other words, this confirmation does not directly affect selling privileges, but it will affect how VAT is handled for future UK orders.

Sellers can currently log in to Seller Central and check whether they have received the relevant task under Account Health > Priority Actions, while also keeping an eye on the official emails in their registered inbox. Since different sellers receive the notification at different times, those who haven't received it yet may continue to monitor their account dashboard.

It is important to remind that sellers should submit documents as required in Seller Central and never trust so-called "paid verification" or "guaranteed approval" promotions. Amazon's email does not mention any third-party processing channels; all verifications must be completed through the seller's account backend.

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02

Amazon Germany adjusts return rules

Following the UK establishment identity confirmation requirement, Amazon Europe sellers also need to pay attention to a return policy change.

Recently, some German-site sellers received email notifications stating that from 1 September 2026, Amazon will shorten the return period for 16 product categories from 30 days to 14 days. These categories include: baby, beauty, personal care, home, furniture, garden, pet supplies, food and beverages, alcohol, luggage, musical instruments, tires, electronics, etc.

It should be noted that this does not represent a change in German consumer return rights. Under Section 355 of the German Civil Code (BGB), consumers shopping online have always enjoyed a 14-day withdrawal right. The 30-day return period previously provided by Amazon was an additional commercial guarantee offered by the platform; this adjustment essentially cancels the default 30-day return service for certain categories.

Under the new rules, consumers can submit a withdrawal request within 14 days of receiving the goods and still have 14 days to return the item after submitting the request.

Amazon has also set a transition period: orders delivered before 1 October 2026 will still follow the original 30-day return rule; orders delivered after that date will be subject to the new return period.

However, this adjustment does not cover all products.

Amazon states that clothing, shoes, handbags, jewellery, watches, as well as Amazon own-brand devices such as Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle, will still maintain the 30-day return guarantee.

Previously, Amazon already made similar adjustments in 2024 for categories such as electronics, computers, cameras, and video games, reducing the return period to 14 days. This expansion indicates the platform is gradually reducing the default 30-day return window for certain products.

For sellers, the biggest impact of this policy change lies in adjusting their after-sales strategies.

Previously, consumers were accustomed to Amazon’s 30-day return mechanism. After this rule adjustment, sellers need to simultaneously check their product detail pages, store return policies, and customer service response templates to avoid continuing to display information inconsistent with the actual implemented rules.

Notably, if sellers still label "30-day returns" in their return policies or related legal terms while only offering a 14-day period, they may face compliance risks.

At the same time, Amazon does not prohibit sellers from offering a longer return period on their own. Sellers can decide based on their own business strategies whether to continue providing 30-day returns. For categories such as furniture, bulky goods, and those competing with Amazon's first-party products, a longer return period may become a way to enhance consumer trust and purchase conversion.

As the platform continues to strengthen compliance management, when sellers receive backend notifications, it is more important to first accurately understand the policy content, and then complete the corresponding actions according to official requirements, rather than blindly modifying account information.

For sellers dealing with UK business, it is advisable to log in to their backend recently to check whether they have received related notifications and choose the corresponding verification path based on their actual situation; for German-site sellers, they should also keep an eye on the return policy adjustment effective in September, improve store after-sales settings in advance, and prepare for the peak season operations in the second half of the year.

Text/Cifnews
(Source: Cifnews Editorial Team)

Seller Home comments

Amazon's mandatory UK establishment verification is underway. Failure to confirm on time will result in the platform collecting and remitting VAT. Sellers are advised to immediately check their registered entity information and plan for tax costs. The new return period policy for the German site has taken effect. Orders before October 1 still follow the old rules; after-sales policies should be adjusted simultaneously to avoid disputes.

Source: Cifnews
Original link: https://www.cifnews.com/article/187958