VAT and EPR support for your European launch
Plan VAT and EPR support alongside your European market entry. Frankow helps established product brands align sales channels, stock and specialist delivery.
Rafael Frankow · Reviewed 24 September 2026
Bring the sales plan and specialist requirements together before committing stock to a new market.
For an established product brand, European expansion involves decisions about where to sell, where to hold inventory and who will support the customer. Those choices also shape the questions your VAT and product-responsibility specialists need to assess.
I help brands make those commercial decisions and translate them into a clear launch plan. Frankow partners with VATAi for specialist VAT and EPR support. Where their services fit your needs, I recommend them, make the introduction and help connect the specialist work with your wider European launch.
Start with the market, stock and sales model
This support is relevant to established UK, US, Asian and other international product brands preparing to sell into EU markets through Amazon, direct eCommerce, distributors or retail partners.
The starting point is your proposed operating model: which company sells, which countries hold the stock, which customers buy and which products enter each market. A distributor-led launch and a direct-to-consumer operation can raise different questions. An Amazon FBA storage decision also needs to be considered before stock moves.
My UK and European market-entry work establishes the commercial route. A specialist then checks the registration, reporting and representation requirements against that route.
What Frankow contributes—and who delivers the specialist work
Frankow helps prioritise markets, compare channels, assess commercial readiness and agree launch responsibilities. Where coordination is included in our agreed consultancy scope, I help connect those decisions with the specialist work and the wider launch timetable.
Through our partnership with VATAi, I can establish the connection, help you prepare the commercial context for the discussion and support coordination as part of our agreed consultancy scope. VATAi confirms the applicable requirements and delivers the VAT registration, filing and EPR services covered by its proposal. You contract with VATAi separately for that specialist work.
Frankow may receive a referral commission if you purchase VATAi services following our introduction.
Which services may be relevant?
Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, concerns responsibilities for products and packaging after they are placed on a market. The applicable categories and duties need to be assessed for the product and country; EPR is not the same as ERP business software.
| Area | Question to resolve before launch | Commercial input to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| VAT registration and ongoing filings | Which registrations and reporting arrangements fit the proposed transactions and stock locations? | Selling entity, inventory countries, channels and transaction flows |
| Packaging EPR | What packaging responsibilities apply in each destination? | Packaging materials, weights, quantities and who places them on the market |
| Electrical and electronic equipment / WEEE | Is the equipment in scope, and who holds the relevant producer responsibilities? | Exact products, brands, sales destinations and delivery model |
| Battery EPR | What duties apply to the batteries supplied separately or with products? | Battery types, product configurations and destination markets |
| Representation and other services | Which particular representation role or additional service is needed? | Company location and the precise tax or product requirement being assessed |
VATAi’s EPR service overview describes its advertised categories. The specialist quote should confirm coverage for your particular products and countries. Tax fiscal representation, EPR representation and product-safety roles should be named separately rather than treated as interchangeable.
For electrical goods, the EU’s WEEE guidance explains producer responsibilities. Germany’s battery producer guidance sets out its registration and related obligations. These are reasons to obtain a product-and-market assessment, rather than assume one registration covers every category.
Example: a technology brand evaluating Germany first
Consider an illustrative non-EU brand with proven sales of a connected device. It is comparing a distributor-led launch with Amazon and Shopify sales supported by European stock.
Frankow’s commercial work would compare channel economics, partner responsibilities, stock commitments and support capacity. Those decisions give the specialist a concrete setup to assess: the selling entity, intended stock locations, exact device and battery configuration, packaging and target customers.
The specialist checks the relevant VAT and EPR scope and identifies other assessments needed. The brand’s technical team supplies the product evidence. Registrations, product checks, listing readiness and stock movement become parts of one launch plan, each with an owner.
This is an example of the decision process, not a client result or a claim that Germany should always be the first market. Frankow’s focus remains the UK and Europe; German language and DACH experience are additional advantages.
Agree the full scope before comparing prices
Request a written proposal for your actual countries, products and selling model. It should separate initial registrations, ongoing filings, representation, official fees or contributions, and renewal charges where applicable.
Frankow consultancy and the specialist’s services are quoted separately. A supplier’s advertised starting price is not a complete European launch budget.
Practical questions
Do we need an EU company before selling in Europe?
Incorporation and VAT registration are different decisions. The French tax authority, for example, describes VAT registration for companies without a permanent establishment in France. Your proposed arrangements need assessment; this does not establish that an existing company is suitable for every operating model. Establishing a local company later is a separate commercial and legal decision.
Does one VAT number cover stock held across the EU?
Do not assume it does. Amazon’s international FBA guidance describes country-specific VAT considerations for European inventory programmes. Confirm the storage countries and applicable setup with your specialist before enabling additional storage locations.
Does EPR registration also certify a battery or connected product?
No. Producer-responsibility registration is separate from technical product conformity and any applicable safety or transport documentation. Confirm those workstreams with the relevant specialists and your technical team; VAT and EPR support should not be presented as complete product approval.
How does this connect to Amazon, Shopify and retail?
The registrations need to fit the actual channel and stock plan. My Amazon and marketplace work addresses the commercial decisions around those channels. The European 3PL stock guide explains the related fulfilment responsibilities.
Still deciding how to enter Europe?
The specialist setup needs to reflect your commercial plan: which company sells, where stock is held, which channels you use and who supports the customer.
If those decisions are still open, my UK & European Market Entry Assessment helps establish the route and the responsibilities before you commission the specialist work.
If your operating model is already defined, you can move directly to a scoped specialist assessment.
Explore the market-entry assessment →
Choose the support you need
Planning a funded European expansion? Discuss the market, channel and execution decisions with Frankow.
Already have your sales and stock model? You can request a specialist introduction without buying a Frankow assessment.