Selling into Europe: a practical guide for US and UK brands
Moving stock to Europe, serving EU customers from the Netherlands, and handling the UK route: a practical expansion guide for US and UK brands — with the corridor questions that matter.
One decision first: where does your stock live?
Selling into Europe starts with one decision: where does your stock live? Shipping orders individually from the US or UK means each order crosses an EU external border. Holding stock inside the EU changes that flow: stock is imported first, then orders are dispatched from the EU warehouse. Shipping between EU countries is still international delivery. This guide walks through that move: why EU stock changes the delivery experience, which corridor questions matter for your origin country, and what to prepare before moving your stock.
Why EU stock first
Two topics come up in every EU expansion plan. First, the EU parcel levy — our article explains how it may change cross-border parcel flows; treat it as the current reference for that topic. Second, customers increasingly expect a delivery promise that feels local — an expectation we cover in why EU-based fulfilment protects your delivery promise. Neither is a reason to panic; both are reasons to consider serving Europe from EU stock rather than shipping every parcel across a border.
The corridor check: what changes per origin
The mechanics depend on where your stock comes from. Each live article below covers one corridor in detail:
| Your origin | The core question | Where we explain it |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Tariff treatment for stock moving into the EU after Brexit | UK–EU TCA rules of origin, GB EORI vs EU EORI, UK brands and the parcel levy |
| US | Export filing and tariff treatment when you transfer inventory | US Schedule B and AES filing, the 2026 US–EU trade framework |
| Canada | Whether goods qualify for CETA preferential tariff treatment | Canada–EU CETA stock transfers, CBSA CERS export declaration |
| Australia | Export declaration and current FTA status | Australia ABF export declaration, Australia–EU FTA status 2026 |
| Asia | Shipping stock to EU warehouses as an operating model | From Asia: shipping to EU stock |
Corridor articles are education, not advice
These articles explain the questions to raise with your freight forwarder and tax adviser. They are education, not advice for your specific case. Your pricing, VAT registration and product compliance are your decisions, made with your advisers.
Why the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of Europe’s natural distribution points: a short hop to Germany, Belgium, France and the UK, mature carrier infrastructure, and a port and airport network built for international trade. Vareya's warehouse is at Bagven Park 6 in Breda. PostNL is Vareya's main carrier for shipments within the Netherlands. DHL, Asendia, FedEx and Royal Mail remain part of the carrier network for other routes. Vareya supports a defined list of 41 destinations — you can see the current list on the request a quote page.
How the move works, in five steps
- 1. Fit check. You share volume, product types, packed dimensions and destinations. Product fit is confirmed during qualification. Vareya is generally best suited to brands shipping 500 or more orders per month.
- 2. Quote and agreement. You receive a quote that separates fulfilment costs from shipping costs, and a fulfilment agreement covering services, service levels and the returns setup.
- 3. Onboarding. We connect your webshop to the WMS (for Shopify, you receive an invitation to connect your store to the ShipHero setup), agree packing instructions, and set up your returns process.
- 4. Stock transfer. You ship inventory to Breda — via your own freight provider or with transport arranged by Vareya. You create a purchase order in the WMS; when the goods arrive they are checked and counted, and stock levels are updated when the purchase order is accepted.
- 5. Go live. We run test orders, fine-tune, and start fulfilling real orders — customer support is included at no additional charge. You also have a monthly catch-up with your account manager.
The UK route in practice
If you also sell to UK customers, ask whether serving them from stock in the Netherlands fits your operation. Shipments to the United Kingdom may be entered directly into the Royal Mail domestic network. Exact delivery timing depends on the agreed shipping method and is confirmed during qualification. Vareya groups UK parcels for daily transport, arranges customs handling collectively using your VAT number, and enters them into the Royal Mail network — typically within 24 hours after handover. This is not an order-to-door guarantee. The full route is explained on our UK fulfilment page.
Returns from Europe
Returns handling is available. Contact Vareya to discuss the required returns process.
For UK customers, a UK returns address is available as part of the returns setup, so customers can send their return to a UK address. Any onward transport is agreed separately. More context in our article on returns centres in Europe.
What we will not promise
- We will not give you a customs or tax plan for your specific situation — that belongs with your adviser, using the corridor articles above as a starting point.
- We will not promise a fixed number of days from order to doorstep for UK orders. The qualified timing above is exactly what we stand behind.
- We will not pretend expansion is only about logistics: your pricing, VAT registration and product compliance are your decisions, made with your advisers.
Start with a fit check
Before you ship a single pallet, run the numbers on your profile. Our free fulfilment scan takes a few minutes: you share volume, product types and destination markets. Vareya will review your answers and send an initial fit response by email within one working day.