If you sell electrical or electronic products on Amazon, WEEE registration is not optional. In the UK the WEEE Regulations decide whether you are a producer or a distributor, and since August 2025 online marketplaces carry producer duties for overseas sellers. In the EU every country runs its own register, and marketplaces such as Amazon block listings without a valid number. This guide explains the UK WEEE regulations, WEEE registration and compliance schemes, what UK sellers need for WEEE registration in Germany, how to check a WEEE number and what arbitrage sellers must watch out for.
What is WEEE and what is a WEEE number?
WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The rules make producers responsible for the collection and recycling of the products they place on the market, known as extended producer responsibility. When you register, you receive a registration number: in the UK a Producer Registration Number, in Germany a WEEE registration number from Stiftung EAR in the format "WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE 12345678". Each number only covers its own country.
UK WEEE regulations: producer or distributor?
The legal basis is the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, amended several times, most recently in 2025. Your role decides your duties:
- Producer: you manufacture, rebrand or import electrical equipment and place it on the UK market first, or you sell it under your own brand. Producers must register.
- Distributor: you resell equipment you bought from a UK producer. You rely on the producer's registration, but you have take-back duties for your customers' old equipment.
- Online marketplaces: since 12 August 2025 marketplaces such as Amazon count as producers for electrical goods sold by non-UK sellers to UK households. UK-based sellers keep their own obligations.
For arbitrage sellers this is the key point: if you buy abroad, for example in the EU, and sell in the UK, you place the goods on the UK market first and count as the producer. The same logic applies the other way round when you buy in the UK and sell in Germany.
WEEE registration in the UK: small producers and compliance schemes
- Small producers (under 5 tonnes a year): register directly with the Environment Agency (or the equivalent agency in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) and report once a year by 31 January.
- Larger producers (5 tonnes or more): join an approved WEEE compliance scheme by 15 November before the compliance year. The scheme handles reporting and finances collection and recycling.
- New producers must register within 28 days of first placing equipment on the market.
All equipment must carry the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. Since the 2025 reform, vapes and e-cigarettes have their own product category. Failing to register is a criminal offence and can lead to fines and listing blocks.
More on UK-specific requirements on our page for WEEE registration in the United Kingdom.
WEEE registration in Germany for UK sellers
Selling on Amazon.de? Germany has one of the strictest systems in Europe. Anyone placing electrical equipment on the German market first needs a registration with Stiftung EAR. As a UK business without a German address, you need an authorised representative in Germany who registers on your behalf. Since 1 July 2023 marketplaces in Germany must check these registrations, with fines of up to €100,000 per case.
Registration runs through the EAR portal: create an account, enter the brand and device type, provide a guarantee for consumer equipment and receive the registration notice with your number. It must be done for every brand and device type and can take from a few days to several weeks. More in our guide to WEEE registration costs, steps and duration. Since January 2026 the German law (ElektroG4) also requires online shops to show a take-back logo from 1 July 2026.
How to check a WEEE number: the free WEEE checker
With the free ProfitPath WEEE number checker you search the German register without logging in: by WEEE registration number or by brand, with filters for producer and device category such as small devices, IT and telecom devices, large devices, lamps or displays. The data comes from the public Stiftung EAR register and is provided for information only, without warranty.
Check WEEE numbers of popular brands
- Home and kitchen: Bosch, De'Longhi, Philips, Dyson, Miele
- Electronics and IT: Apple, Samsung, Sony, Xiaomi, Logitech, Nintendo
- Tools and garden: Makita, Einhell, Kärcher
Important: a registered brand only means the German producer who first placed it on that market is registered. If you buy the same brand abroad and sell it in Germany, you still need your own registration.
WEEE numbers on Amazon
Amazon asks for EPR registration numbers in Seller Central. In Germany and France this has been enforced for years, and since the end of 2025 Amazon has been checking WEEE numbers in more European countries. Missing numbers lead to blocked listings. Since 12 August 2026 the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) also requires marketplaces to check packaging registrations in every EU country. Step by step on our page WEEE number for Amazon.
WEEE registers in Europe: France, Italy, Spain and more
- Germany: Stiftung EAR, WEEE registration number.
- France: registration through an approved éco-organisme, IDU for WEEE (DEEE) published on SYDEREP.
- Italy: national AEE register plus a RAEE collective scheme.
- Spain: RII-AEE register plus a take-back scheme.
- More countries: Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland each have their own register.
Without a local business address you usually need an authorised representative in each country. If you store stock in several countries with Pan-EU, you need a registration in each of them, see Pan-EU vs European Fulfilment Network.
WEEE compliance costs
Costs depend on your role, volumes and device types: registration charges, compliance scheme fees for larger producers, a guarantee for consumer equipment in Germany, and the financing of collection and recycling. Add the fees of authorised representatives abroad. Build all of this into your margins, see our guide to Amazon FBA costs. If you import your own products, for example from Alibaba, register before your first sale.
Frequently asked questions about WEEE
Who needs WEEE registration in the UK?
Producers: businesses that manufacture, rebrand or import electrical equipment and place it on the UK market first. Distributors rely on the producer's registration but have take-back duties.
Do I need a WEEE compliance scheme?
Producers placing 5 tonnes or more a year on the UK market must join one. Small producers under 5 tonnes can register directly with the Environment Agency.
How do I check a WEEE registration number?
For Germany, use the free ProfitPath WEEE checker to search by number or brand. The data comes from the public Stiftung EAR register.
Do UK sellers need WEEE registration in Germany?
Yes, if you place electrical equipment on the German market first. Without a German address you need an authorised representative.
Is a WEEE number valid across Europe?
No. Every country has its own register and number, such as the IDU in France or the RII-AEE in Spain.
Do arbitrage sellers need their own WEEE registration?
If you buy from a registered seller in the same country, usually not. If you buy abroad and sell in another country, yes.
Conclusion
WEEE compliance decides whether your electrical products stay listed. In the UK, check whether you are a producer or distributor and register or join a compliance scheme in time. Selling into Germany or other EU countries means a separate registration in each one. Check brands and numbers with the free WEEE checker and every product with ProfitGo before you invest.
