Was talking to a fellow seller yesterday who got their Temu funds frozen – turns out they were selling to France but never registered for the French packaging law, which is part of the EU's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). They couldn't access their money until they got the EPR number sorted out, and it took them an extra week to fix it.

I know Temu is still pretty new for some sellers, but Amazon and other platforms have been cracking down on EPR compliance for a while now. Since so many people here sell to the EU (whether you're on Amazon, eBay, Temu, or your own site), I figured it’s worth breaking down what EPR actually requires – because this isn’t a "nice-to-have" anymore. It’s mandatory, and the penalties are no joke.

What is EPR?

EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility. It's an EU environmental policy that makes producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products – including waste collection and recycling. If you sell into certain EU countries, you're considered a "producer" and need to register, even if you’re a cross-border seller with no local office.

Which countries require EPR?

Currently enforced for sellers on most platforms (and only getting stricter):

Germany (100% mandatory – no exceptions)

France (mandatory, and they’re quick to penalize)

Austria

Spain

Italy (enforcement coming soon – don’t wait to prepare)

Which product categories are affected?

You need to register for EACH category you sell, per country – no shortcuts. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Category

Applicable to

Packaging

Everyone – if you ship anything in packaging (which all sellers do, even small items)

WEEE (electronic waste)

Electronics, electrical goods (phones, chargers, kitchen appliances, etc.)

Batteries

Products containing batteries (toys, headphones, power banks)

Furniture

Furniture items (sofas, tables, shelves)

Textiles

Clothing, linens, shoes, bags

Toys

Toys, games, kids’ activity sets

Tires

Automotive tires

Paper

Paper products (books, notebooks, packaging inserts)

Important: Even if you only sell one category, you still need the packaging registration. That’s the minimum requirement for every single seller shipping to the EU.

Who needs to register?

You need EPR registration if:

You manufacture products that fall under EPR categories, OR

You import such products into Germany/France, OR

You sell such products in Germany/France and don’t have a local company there

Most cross-border sellers fall into the third category – so this applies to almost all of us selling from outside the EU.

Does self-fulfillment (FBM) count?

Yes, 100%. EPR obligations apply regardless of fulfillment method – FBM, FBA, dropshipping, it doesn’t matter. Even if you sell one unit a month, you’re still considered a producer when you sell into the country.

Do I need a separate registration for each store?

No. EPR registration is tied to your business entity, not your store. If you have multiple stores under the same company (e.g., one Amazon store, one Temu store), you can use the same EPR number across all of them. Save yourself the time and don’t register multiple times!

What do I need to do after registering?

Upload your EPR number to each platform’s compliance section (Amazon has a dedicated EPR portal, Temu has it under "Account Settings")

File reports during the reporting period (usually quarterly or annually) – you’ll need to report your sales volume for each EPR category

Pay the eco-contribution fees – these are based on your sales volume, and they’re pretty low (usually €20–50 per year for packaging). If you don’t pay, your registration gets canceled, and you’re back to square one.

What happens if I don’t register?

Penalties are serious – don’t risk it:

From the government:

Germany: Fines up to €200,000 (yes, that’s not a typo)

France: Fines up to €30,000, plus backdated fees

From customs:

Shipments can be detained, delayed, or even destroyed – I’ve heard of sellers losing entire inventory because of this.

From platforms (Amazon, Temu, etc.):

Listings removed (your bestsellers included)

Traffic throttled (no more organic sales)

Trading privileges suspended

Funds frozen (like my fellow seller experienced – they couldn’t access their money for over a week)

How long does registration take?

Germany (Packaging): 1–2 business days (super quick, get this done first)

France (Packaging): 5–7 business days (plan ahead, don’t wait until the last minute)

WEEE / Batteries / Other: 2–4 weeks depending on the category

Can I just let Amazon pay for it?

Amazon offers an EPR payment service for some categories in France, where they deduct fees from your account. But here’s the catch:

You still need to register and get your own EPR number – Amazon’s service doesn’t replace registration

Amazon’s service doesn’t cover Germany or other EU countries

If you don’t upload your EPR number to Amazon, they’ll eventually restrict your account (even if you’re using their payment service)

Bottom line

If you’re selling to Germany or France, get your packaging registration now. It’s cheap, quick, and failing to do so can freeze your account, cost you thousands in fines, or even put you out of business. I’ve seen it happen to both small sellers and bigger brands – don’t be the next one.

This isn’t platform-specific. It’s EU law. Deal with it before it deals with you.

Edit: I’m not a compliance service – just a seller who went through the EPR hassle last year and saw my friend get burned this week. If you need to register, look for a reputable service provider (I used one that cost €30/year for packaging). Happy to answer questions based on my experience – has anyone else here had issues with EPR registration or platform enforcement? Drop your stories below, I’m sure we can all learn from each other!