US to EU fulfilment serve Europe like a local
Shipping from the US means every European order clears customs, collects import VAT and takes a week or more to arrive. Hold stock inside the EU instead, and get matched to a European fulfilment partner that ships your EU orders domestically.
The difference
No transatlantic wait, EU delivery that feels domestic
Fulfilling European orders from a US warehouse means customs clearance, import VAT and duty on every parcel, plus the transatlantic transit time and surprise charges that make European customers abandon carts. Placing stock with an EU-based partner turns those orders into domestic ones, and the matching finds partners set up for exactly that.
An EU base, not a border on every parcel
Filter to partners that hold your stock inside the EU and fulfil orders domestically, so your European customers get local delivery speeds and no customs charge at the door. The Atlantic is crossed once, on a bulk inbound, not on every order.
Set up for the paperwork
See partners that handle EU import, IOSS or OSS VAT and the customs documentation a US sender needs, so expanding into Europe does not mean becoming an EU importer overnight.
How it works
- 01
Set your constraints
Tell us you ship from the US into the EU, the countries you sell into, your monthly volume, and requirements like IOSS, returns or COD.
- 02
Compare shortlists
Partners are filtered to those with an EU base that can receive your stock and clear the paperwork, then scored on fit for your markets.
- 03
Request an intro
Send a request to the partners worth talking to. They see your profile, so the first conversation starts from facts, not a generic quote.
- 01
List your capabilities
Publish your EU locations, the import and VAT support you offer, the countries you serve and your carriers.
- 02
Get matched to demand
Your listing surfaces for the US brands whose EU expansion you can genuinely support, not for anyone who typed a keyword.
- 03
Take qualified intros
Requests arrive with the brand's origin, markets and volume attached, so you can decide quickly whether it is a fit.
Turn EU orders into domestic ones
Start from the directory, or publish a store profile and let the matching find an EU fulfilment base for your US brand.
What is US to EU fulfilment?
US to EU fulfilment is the practice of an American ecommerce brand holding stock at a fulfilment centre inside the European Union and shipping EU orders from there, rather than sending every parcel across the Atlantic through customs from the United States. Goods are exported once, in bulk, to the EU warehouse; from that point EU orders ship domestically, with no per-order customs clearance, no import VAT collected at the customer's door and delivery times that match a local seller instead of a week or more in transatlantic transit. It is the standard way US brands make the European market viable, replacing slow, duty-laden cross-border parcels with fast, local delivery.
Also called: EU fulfilment for US brands, transatlantic fulfilment, US brand EU logistics
An EU base instead of shipping across the Atlantic
Why a US brand serving European customers wins by holding stock locally, and what the transatlantic route really costs.
The true cost of shipping every order from the US
Fulfilling European orders from a US warehouse looks workable until you add up what it costs the customer. Every parcel crosses the Atlantic, clears EU customs, and can attract import VAT and duty plus a courier handling fee the buyer pays on arrival. Transit takes days to weeks, tracking goes quiet in the middle, and a meaningful share of shoppers refuse the parcel when the charges appear. For a US brand, that means European conversion is throttled not by demand but by a delivery experience that feels slow, expensive and uncertain compared with the local sellers you are up against. Air freight on single orders is also among the most expensive ways to move goods. The transatlantic-per-order model can launch a market, but it rarely scales one, because the friction lands on the customer at the worst possible moment.
Import in bulk, deliver like a European seller
The scalable model is to establish an EU fulfilment base: ship your stock across the Atlantic once in bulk, clear it as a single import, and then fulfil European orders domestically from inside the bloc. Your customer in France or Germany gets a local parcel at local speed and cost, with no duty demand at the door, and you compete on the same footing as an EU-based brand. Handling EU VAT and IOSS correctly from that base removes the tax friction too. The trade-off is holding inventory in Europe and managing the inbound leg and customs, precisely what a European fulfilment partner exists to do. When you compare partners, weigh their EU warehouse locations against your largest markets and check they can handle the US-to-EU import and EU VAT setup, since that is what converts a distant exporter into a local one.
Common questions
Why do US brands need an EU fulfilment base?
A parcel sent from the US to an EU customer crosses a customs border, which means clearance, import VAT and often duty, plus transatlantic transit of a week or more and unexpected charges the customer sees at delivery. Holding stock inside the EU and shipping domestically removes all of that from the individual order. The Atlantic is crossed once, on a bulk inbound shipment, instead of on every sale.
How does EU VAT work if I fulfil from inside Europe?
Once your stock is in the EU, sales within the EU are treated as domestic or intra-EU supplies rather than imports, and schemes like OSS and IOSS can simplify how you account for VAT across member states. The exact setup depends on where you store goods and where you sell, so confirm a partner's VAT and IOSS support and take your own tax advice before committing.
Do I still deal with customs at all?
Yes, but only once per inbound shipment rather than once per order. Your goods are exported from the US and imported into the EU in bulk when you restock the warehouse. A good partner handles or guides that customs documentation, so day-to-day orders ship without any border step.
Which EU country should I hold stock in?
It depends on where your European demand is concentrated and the carrier network the partner runs. A central location with strong pan-EU carrier links often gives the best average delivery time across member states. Tell us the countries you sell into and the matching filters to partners positioned to serve them.
Can I keep US fulfilment and add an EU one?
That is the usual setup: fulfil North American orders from the US and European orders from an EU base, so each market gets domestic delivery. Filter for partners that can serve your EU countries and, if you need it, coordinate stock across both regions.