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Why a German warehouse asks for the WEEE number: what ElektroG § 6(2) says

Short answer

While a manufacturer is not properly registered, fulfilment service providers may not store, pack, address or ship its devices, marketplaces may not enable offers of them, and distributors may not sell them. That is the legal background to a warehouse asking for your WEEE number. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1

The key facts at a glance

Provision
ElektroG § 6(2) sentence 2, numbers 1 to 3. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3
Three parties barred
Distributors (selling), marketplace operators (enabling offers), fulfilment service providers (storing, packing, addressing, shipping). ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3
Fulfilment provider breach
Listed as an offence; fine cap of EUR 100,000. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4b; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 2
Marketplace breach
Also listed as an offence; fine cap of EUR 100,000. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4a; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 2
You yourself
The registration number must be on offers and invoices; omitting it is an offence. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 3; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 5
Unregistered: every link of the chain is blocked1Manufacturer not properlyregisteredYou, or your authorised representative2Distributors may not sell§ 6(2) s. 2 no. 13Marketplaces may not enableoffersno. 24Fulfilment providers may notstore, pack, shipno. 3 - overseas warehouses fall here
Figure 1. Unregistered: every link of the chain is blocked

What the statute says

Manufacturers may not place electrical equipment on the market while they are not properly registered. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 1

While the manufacturer or its representative is not properly registered, distributors may not offer its devices for sale, ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1

marketplace operators may not enable the offering or making available of its devices, ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2

and fulfilment service providers may not store, pack, address or ship its devices. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3

Why this matters especially for overseas warehouses

Each breach is listed as its own offence, with the same fine cap as the seller's own failure to register: EUR 100,000. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4b; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4a; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 2

That is why German warehouses and order-fulfilment providers check your registration before intake: it is their own fine risk. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4b

This is an inference from the legal consequences, not a description of any particular warehouse's rules. Ask each warehouse directly for its intake documents.

What to have ready

  1. Your WEEE registration number (WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE).
  2. The brand name must match the registered brand, as registration is per brand and device type.
  3. Battery products have a separate battery registration number; the two are not the same number.

Registration is per brand and device type. stiftung ear: WEEE-Registrierung beantragen, Schritt 4

The battery registration number (Batt-Reg.-Nr. DE) is a separate number; fulfilment providers face a comparable ban for batteries. stiftung ear: Batterieregistrierung beantragen, Schritt 6; BattDG § 4 Abs. 3

Direct parcels versus a German warehouse

The manufacturer definition does not depend on how you ship: offering devices directly to German end users by distance means makes you a manufacturer. ElektroG § 3 Nr. 9 Buchst. d

Direct shipping from China therefore does not exempt you from WEEE registration; entering a German warehouse adds a check performed by the warehouse. For the duty cost comparison see the guide on the EU small-parcel duty.

What this guide did not verify

Not verified here: the intake documents of individual warehouses, and Amazon FBA's internal enforcement rules.

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What sellers also ask

The warehouse wants a WEEE number and I have none.

Follow the WEEE registration guide: appoint a German representative and apply. Review takes weeks; do not ship to the warehouse before the notice arrives.

Does this bind Amazon's fulfilment too?

The provision covers marketplace operators and fulfilment service providers. How Amazon is classified and how it enforces it was not verified here. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2; ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3

How high is the fine?

For fulfilment providers and marketplace operators: up to EUR 100,000. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4b; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4a; ElektroG § 45 Abs. 2

Where does each statement come from?

Every source below is a legal text or an authority page; click through to compare.

  1. BattDG § 4 Abs. 3 · read 2026-10-18
  2. ElektroG § 3 Nr. 9 Buchst. d · read 2026-10-18
  3. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4a · read 2026-10-18
  4. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 4b · read 2026-10-18
  5. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 1 Nr. 5 · read 2026-10-18
  6. ElektroG § 45 Abs. 2 · read 2026-10-18
  7. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 1 · read 2026-10-18
  8. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 1 · read 2026-10-18
  9. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 2 · read 2026-10-18
  10. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 2 Satz 2 Nr. 3 · read 2026-10-18
  11. ElektroG § 6 Abs. 3 · read 2026-10-18
  12. stiftung ear: Batterieregistrierung beantragen, Schritt 6 · read 2026-10-27
  13. stiftung ear: WEEE-Registrierung beantragen, Schritt 4 · read 2026-10-27

This guide summarises public legal texts and authority pages as general information. It is not legal advice. For your case, ask a licensed German lawyer.

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