TL;DR: Germany is Europe’s largest fashion eCommerce market, generating over $28 billion in online fashion revenue in 2024. The top marketplaces for third-party fashion sellers include Zalando (now merged with ABOUT YOU), OTTO Marketplace, Amazon.de, eBay Germany, Etsy, Limango, and Vinted. Sellers should expect fashion return rates exceeding 50%, strong demand for localization, and a price-conscious consumer base. Choosing the right platform depends on your product type, target demographic, and fulfillment capabilities.
If you sell fashion online and you are not selling in Germany, you are leaving money on the table.
We work with online sellers every day who are expanding across European marketplaces. The same question keeps coming up: “Where should we sell fashion in Germany?” The answer is not as simple as listing on one or two platforms and waiting for orders. The German market has specific expectations around product data, returns, payment methods, and language. Get those right, and you have access to a massive, high-intent customer base. Get them wrong, and your listings will sit untouched.
This guide breaks down the best fashion marketplaces in Germany for 2026, with updated traffic data, commission structures, and practical strategy advice for third-party sellers.
What Does the German Fashion eCommerce Market Look Like in 2026?
Germany’s online fashion sector generated approximately $28.8 billion in revenue in 2024, making it one of the largest fashion eCommerce markets in the world. Online channels now represent 30 to 35% of all fashion retail sales in the country.
A few key trends shape the 2026 landscape:
- Price sensitivity is high. German consumers prioritize discounts and promotions. About 62% of German consumers expressed negativity about the national economy in 2025, which directly impacts discretionary fashion spending.
- Returns are a cost center. Germany has one of the highest fashion return rates in Europe. Fashion return rates in Germany exceed 50%, and 85% of German online shoppers say a clear, free return policy is critical to their purchase decision.
- Marketplaces dominate. Online marketplaces account for roughly 55% of total eCommerce sales in Germany. Fashion-specific vertical platforms like Zalando lead the category.
- Mobile-first shopping is standard. Smartphones now drive more than 63% of eCommerce revenue across the country.
- Sustainability matters, but price wins. About 69% of German shoppers consider sustainability important in clothing purchases, but only 16 to 25% are willing to pay more for sustainable items.
For third-party fashion sellers, these dynamics mean you need to invest in accurate product data, flexible fulfillment, multilingual customer support, and platform-specific strategies.
What Are the Best Online Marketplaces to Sell Fashion in Germany?
1. Zalando (Including ABOUT YOU)
Zalando is Europe’s leading online fashion destination. Its German domain, zalando.de, draws approximately 27 to 42 million monthly visits depending on the season, with December 2025 recording about 27.18 million visits.
A major development in 2025 reshaped the competitive landscape. Zalando completed its acquisition of ABOUT YOU in July 2025, bringing both brands under one corporate umbrella. The combined entity now serves more than 61 million active customers across 29 European markets. ABOUT YOU continues to operate as a separate brand targeting younger, mobile-first shoppers, while Zalando maintains its position as the broader fashion marketplace.
Best For: Fashion-forward apparel, footwear, and accessories. Zalando targets a style-conscious demographic across all age groups, with its largest visitor segment aged 25 to 34. Through the ABOUT YOU brand, the group also reaches younger, trend-driven consumers who prefer personalized, social media-aligned shopping.
Commission and Fees: Commission fees range from 7% to 25% depending on the product category and price point, and often include a platform base fee. Sellers access the platform through the Zalando Partner Program.
Key Consideration: Sellers need exceptional product data quality and high logistics standards. Using Zalando Fulfillment Solutions (ZFS) is strongly recommended to meet German customer expectations for fast shipping and hassle-free returns.
2. OTTO Marketplace
OTTO is Germany’s second-largest eCommerce player, with a historically strong focus on Home & Living and Fashion categories. The marketplace receives an average of 3 million qualified visits per day (over 90 million per month), reaching more than 12 million active German customers.
Best For: Premium mid-market and established fashion brands. OTTO’s audience is loyal and trusts the brand for quality. This is a curated marketplace, meaning sellers must apply and meet high operational standards.
Commission and Fees: A monthly basic fee of approximately €99.90 plus product-specific commissions. The application process requires sellers to demonstrate compliance with OTTO’s quality and fulfillment standards.
Key Consideration: OTTO is excellent for increasing visibility among mid-to-older, brand-loyal German demographics. The audience skews toward quality-conscious buyers who prefer established names over fast fashion.
3. Amazon Germany (Amazon.de)
Amazon.de receives over 450 million site visits every month. The platform’s sheer traffic volume makes it impossible to ignore for any fashion seller in Germany.
Best For: High-volume basics, commodity accessories, and entry-level fashion. Amazon is the right fit for brands that need to move large quantities and are willing to invest in FBA for fast, convenient delivery.
Commission and Fees: The referral fee for Apparel is typically 15% for the portion of the sale price up to €45.00, and 8% for any portion above €45.00. Additional FBA fees apply.
Key Consideration: Fashion on Amazon Germany is competitive and often price-driven. Sellers must manage size variations and high return rates efficiently. Strong listing optimization, A+ content, and competitive pricing are table stakes.
4. eBay Germany (eBay.de)
eBay remains a significant force in the German market, with around 18 million active German buyers per month. The platform supports both consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer models.
Best For: Used clothing, refurbished designer items, long-tail inventory, and unique vintage pieces. eBay’s flexible selling model allows sellers to list inventory types that would be rejected by curated platforms like Zalando.
Commission and Fees: Final value fees vary by category, typically ranging from 9% to 13% for clothing and accessories. Optional promoted listings fees add additional cost.
Key Consideration: eBay is ideal for liquidating returns, selling clearance stock, or dealing in collector and vintage items. Sellers need to invest time in strong product photography and detailed condition descriptions.
5. Etsy (etsy.com/de)
Etsy’s German domain sees approximately 13 million visits per month. The platform attracts buyers looking for handmade, customized, and vintage goods.
Best For: Handmade jewelry, customized accessories, bespoke apparel, and upcycled fashion. Etsy commands higher margins for specialized, artisan work.
Commission and Fees: A 6.5% transaction fee plus a $0.20 listing fee per item. Payment processing fees also apply.
Key Consideration: Etsy is limited to unique or artisan items. Pricing must account for all platform fees. This marketplace works best for small, independent creators rather than bulk distributors.
6. Limango
Limango is a leading online shopping club for families and young parents and a member of the Otto Group. The platform has over 1.9 million active customers and sees more than 2 million unique users per month. Since 2017, Limango has offered an open marketplace for selected partners.
Best For: Kidswear, maternity fashion, family apparel, and accessories. Limango provides direct access to a high-intent, loyal family audience, often at attractive prices.
Commission and Fees: Commission-based model with no basic monthly fee. This makes Limango attractive for specialized sellers who meet their quality standards.
Key Consideration: Limango is a curated marketplace. Sellers need strong alignment with their family-focused categories. Product quality, brand reputation, and operational reliability all matter in the approval process.
7. Vinted (Second-Hand Specialist)
Vinted is Europe’s largest second-hand fashion marketplace. The platform has over 75 million registered users globally and generated €813.4 million in revenue in 2024, a 36% increase from the previous year. In Germany, vinted.de recorded approximately 7 to 8 million monthly visits in late 2024. Vinted was the second most visited fashion website in Germany after Zalando.
Best For: Sustainable fashion, pre-loved designer pieces, and vintage sourcing. Vinted taps directly into the growing second-hand and sustainable clothing market that German consumers increasingly embrace.
Commission and Fees: Vinted does not charge sellers a listing fee. Buyers pay for Buyer Protection services. Sellers pay only for optional promoted listings.
Key Consideration: Sales on Vinted tend to be price-sensitive. The platform’s community focus requires fast, clear communication about garment condition. While primarily consumer-to-consumer, small businesses dealing in vintage or upcycled apparel also operate on the platform.
How Do You Choose the Right Fashion Marketplace in Germany?
The right platform depends on your business model, product type, and target customer. Here is a practical breakdown by selling objective:
If your goal is maximum new inventory volume: Focus on Amazon.de and Zalando. Both require flawless product data, high inventory levels, and fast fulfillment. Amazon’s FBA and Zalando’s ZFS are key tools for winning the Buy Box and meeting delivery expectations.
If your goal is mid-market brand building and trust: OTTO Marketplace is the strongest option. Prioritize operational excellence and German-specific localization to reach OTTO’s quality-focused, brand-loyal buyers.
If you target young, trend-driven, and mobile-first shoppers: The Zalando group (including ABOUT YOU) serves this audience best. Invest in high-quality lifestyle photography, video content, and alignment with current social media trends.
If you sell used, vintage, unique, or clearance items: eBay Germany, Etsy, and Vinted each serve different niches. Use eBay and Vinted for volume clearance. Use Etsy for high-margin, bespoke, or unique vintage pieces. Detailed condition reports are essential on all three platforms.
If you sell family, maternity, or kidswear: Limango is purpose-built for this audience. The platform’s family focus means your listings reach parents actively shopping for children’s apparel and accessories.
For sellers operating across multiple marketplaces, the operational challenge grows fast. Each platform has different messaging systems, different SLA requirements, and different customer expectations. Without a centralized system, your support team will struggle to keep pace.
How Should You Handle Returns When Selling Fashion in Germany?
Returns are a defining feature of the German fashion eCommerce market. German consumers have a legal 14-day return window for most online purchases, and the culture of “bracketing” (ordering multiple sizes with the intent to return most of them) is deeply established.
Here is what sellers need to prepare for:
- Fashion return rates in Germany frequently exceed 50%. Dresses see the highest return rates at approximately 54%, followed by skirts at about 47%.
- 85% of German online shoppers say a clear, free return policy is critical to their purchase decision.
- Sizing inconsistencies across brands drive 53% of all apparel returns globally, and this problem is amplified in Germany’s bracketing culture.
Practical steps to manage returns effectively:
- Provide detailed, accurate size charts for every product listing.
- Use high-quality images showing fit on different body types where possible.
- Offer multiple return methods. Over 25% of returns in Germany in 2025 were made through parcel lockers or drop-off points.
- Automate your returns management process to reduce manual handling costs.
- Track return reasons to identify patterns and improve listings over time.
How eDesk Helps Fashion Sellers Manage Multiple German Marketplaces
Selling fashion across Zalando, OTTO, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other platforms means managing customer messages from many different channels at once. Each marketplace has its own inbox, its own response time requirements, and its own rules for communication.
eDesk brings all of those messages into a single smart inbox. Your team sees every customer message from every connected marketplace in one place, with order details and customer history attached automatically. This means faster response times, fewer missed messages, and better customer satisfaction scores, all of which directly protect your seller ratings.
For fashion sellers dealing with high volumes of size and return inquiries, eDesk’s AI-powered tools help automate repetitive responses. Your agents spend less time on routine questions and more time handling complex issues that require a human touch.
Book a demo with eDesk to see how centralizing your marketplace support across German fashion platforms saves time, reduces costs, and helps your business grow.
FAQs
What is the largest fashion marketplace in Germany?
Zalando is the largest fashion marketplace in Germany. Following its acquisition of ABOUT YOU in 2025, the combined Zalando group serves more than 61 million active customers across 29 European markets.
How high are fashion return rates in Germany?
Fashion return rates in Germany exceed 50%. This is significantly higher than the European average and is driven by the common German practice of “bracketing,” where customers order multiple sizes or colors and return the ones that do not fit.
Do I need to translate my product listings into German?
Yes. German consumers strongly prefer a localized shopping experience. This includes German-language product listings, customer support in German, local return options, and trusted payment methods like PayPal and invoice (Kauf auf Rechnung).
What fees does Zalando charge third-party sellers?
Zalando charges commission fees ranging from 7% to 25% depending on the product category and price point. Sellers access the platform through the Zalando Partner Program and are often charged a platform base fee on top of the commission.
Is Amazon Germany good for selling fashion?
Amazon.de receives over 450 million monthly site visits and offers enormous reach. It works best for high-volume basics and commodity accessories. Fashion on Amazon tends to be price-driven, so sellers need competitive pricing, strong listing optimization, and FBA fulfillment to succeed.
What is the best marketplace for selling vintage or second-hand fashion in Germany?
Vinted is the leading platform for second-hand fashion in Germany. For higher-value vintage or bespoke pieces, Etsy is a strong option. eBay Germany also works well for clearance stock, refurbished items, and long-tail vintage inventory.
How do I manage customer support across multiple German fashion marketplaces?
A multichannel helpdesk like eDesk centralizes all customer messages from Zalando, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other platforms into one inbox. This ensures your team meets each marketplace’s response time requirements without switching between multiple dashboards.
