France is one of the largest e-commerce markets in Europe. French e-commerce revenue reached 175.3 billion euros in 2024, an increase of 9.6% compared to the previous year. More than 43 million French people shop online, and the market recorded over 2.6 billion transactions in 2024. That makes France a logical next step for many Dutch e-commerce entrepreneurs.
And that step is being taken more and more often. France is the country where many Dutch businesses go to sell online. The market is large, the distance is short, and through platforms like Amazon the barrier to entry is relatively low.
Yet selling in France also brings specific challenges, particularly when it comes to VAT. For those considering the move, we spoke with Yarne, our French VAT specialist at Staxxer. He explains what type of entrepreneur enters the French market and what you need to keep in mind.
Who sells in France?
According to Yarne, it is mostly experienced international sellers who take the step to France. “These are entrepreneurs who are already active in other European countries, particularly Germany. France is their next market as part of a broader European strategy.”
The most important platform for this group is Amazon.fr. Amazon is the undisputed market leader in France and by far the most used marketplace among the entrepreneurs Yarne works with. Alongside Amazon, there is also C-Discount, the second-largest marketplace in the country. A smaller share of sellers uses this platform as a supplement to Amazon.
The mismatch problem on Amazon: a common pitfall
Yarne regularly sees clients come to him with a mismatch problem on Amazon. The rule is simple but often overlooked: what you enter on Amazon must exactly match how your business is registered in France. If it does not, Amazon flags a mismatch and you receive a notification with a deadline to resolve it. How this plays out differs between legal entities and sole traders.
For a legal entity, the name must match your Chamber of Commerce extract, including your legal form such as B.V. Yet Amazon regularly returns an error here, because the French tax authority sometimes automatically adds “STE” (short for société, French for “company”) in front of the business name. That does not appear on your certificate, but it does appear in the French system, which causes a mismatch.
For a sole trader, it comes down to your full name, including any infixes, exactly as it appears on your Chamber of Commerce extract. The mismatch here usually occurs because clients enter their first and last name in the usual order, while France registers you with your last name first and then your first name.
Neither the STE prefix nor the order of first and last name can be changed. In both cases, the solution is to open a case with Amazon and explain the situation. Yarne notes that it has always been resolved so far, though it is always an extra step you would rather avoid.
Slow processing: account for the time
Another point Yarne regularly encounters is the processing time at the French tax authority. Officially, address or name changes are processed within two weeks, but in practice this often takes a month or longer. After that, it takes another one to two weeks before the change is visible in VIES, the European VAT validation system used by platforms like Amazon.
“Amazon can then flag a mismatch again, even if the change was submitted long ago,” Yarne explains. “What I do in that case: export a proof file of the submitted change, so Amazon can see that it is already in progress.”
Yarne’s advice is clear: submit address changes as early as possible and follow up on them actively.
E-invoicing: a change that is coming
Alongside the sometimes slow processing times, there is another development from the French government that entrepreneurs need to keep in mind: mandatory electronic reporting, also known as e-reporting. If you have a French VAT number, you will have to deal with this at some point. For most smaller and mid-sized webshops, the deadline is 1 September 2027.
For a full explanation of what this means and what you need to do, read our detailed article on e-invoicing and e-reporting in France: [link to article].
The future: less hassle, more opportunities
In the long term, Yarne is optimistic about the accessibility of international markets. “After ViDA, the obligation to have a French VAT number when storing inventory in France will fall away. The barrier to scaling e-commerce internationally will become much lower.”
For now: the French market offers opportunities, but also some important considerations. Not sure about your VAT situation in France? Feel free to reach out to Yarne or one of the other specialists at Staxxer.
