Most brands pick the country they’ve heard of most. A better way is to answer five questions for each market, then open the one that can pay for the next.
Why look abroad at all
About 2.77 billion people shop online, and around 288 million of them are in the US. So roughly 9 in 10 online shoppers live somewhere else. That number gets your attention, but it won’t pick your market. Demand for your product in one particular store will.
The five questions
- Is there demand in this store today? Look at search terms, best-seller ranks and competitor reviews on that marketplace, in the local language.
- What’s left after landed cost? Add up product, freight, duty, marketplace fees, fulfillment, ads and returns before you get excited.
- How heavy are the rules? Safety files, labels, registrations and certificates can be a day’s work or a three-month project.
- How different is the shopper? Language, sizes, plugs, seasons and what people expect to see on a listing all change.
- Can you deliver like a local? If stock can’t reach shoppers as fast as local sellers, you’ll struggle to win the sale.
A worked example
This is an illustration with made-up figures for one product sold at €39.99 in Germany. Your own numbers will differ.
| Shelf price, including 19% VAT | €39.99 |
|---|---|
| VAT | −€6.38 |
| Marketplace fee at 15% | −€6.00 |
| Fulfillment | −€4.20 |
| Product cost | −€9.00 |
| Freight and duty | −€2.40 |
| Advertising at 10% of net sales | −€3.36 |
| Returns allowance | −€1.00 |
| Left over | €7.65 |
A healthy-looking price at home can shrink quickly once a border is involved, which is why this sum comes before everything else.
A sensible order for US brands
- Canada and Mexico. They share an Amazon account with the US and can be served from US stock through remote fulfillment while you test demand.
- The UK and Australia. Same language, so listings need adapting rather than rewriting, though tax and safety rules differ.
- Germany and France. Large prizes with more paperwork: VAT, product safety and packaging registration.
- Japan. Rewarding and demanding. Plan for customs representation, local-language content and high service standards.
Open one, not five
Get one market running smoothly, then use its profit and lessons to open the next. Five half-run markets usually earn less than one well-run market.
Sources: Oberlo: online shoppers worldwide, Oberlo: online shoppers in the US, Amazon Global Selling. General information, not legal or tax advice. Last checked November 2026.
