How to sell on Zalando: requirements, models, onboarding and costs.

First: who this guide is for

This guide is for brands and retailers that want to sell their catalogue on Zalando. If you're a private person looking to resell used clothes, that's a different thing: Zalando Pre-owned, where you send in items bought on Zalando in exchange for a gift voucher. It isn't a sales channel for businesses.

If you're still deciding whether it's worth it, I wrote a separate piece on why selling on Zalando accelerates your brand instead of cannibalising your site. Here I assume the decision is made.

The ways to sell on Zalando

Zalando's Partner University lists three partnership models:

How you become a Zalando partner

There is no sign-up form on the partner portal. Entry to the Partner Program goes through a Zalando Sales Manager, who also works out your launch assortment with you. Before you sign, Zalando's documentation expects five decisions to be made:

• Which countries to launch in. Decide before onboarding starts, not after.
• Your logistics model. ZFS or self-fulfilment. If you ship yourself, you must use an approved last-mile carrier for each country and offer free shipping and free returns, with returns within 30 days.
• Your integration method. A third-party integrator or direct integration (see below).
• An assortment plan. How many SKUs at launch, counted by style and colour, not by size. If an article already exists on Zalando, you only link it with its identifier and EANs, with no full mapping.
• The agreements. Partner Program Agreement, Connected Network Agreement or a contract with an approved carrier (if you ship yourself), and your integrator contract.

In practice: the sooner you show up with these answers ready, the sooner onboarding starts. A brand that arrives with messy catalogue data and logistics still undecided loses weeks before the first article is even uploaded.

Requirements to sell on Zalando

General requirements

• KYC questionnaire (Know Your Customer): one-off, your Zalando contact sends you the link.
• VAT number for your legal entity, plus your warehouse's if it's in another country. ZFS requires a German VAT number: apply early, it's one of the slowest steps.
• Valid 13-digit EANs on every article.
• CE marking where the category requires it, and product safety documentation for toys, beauty and electronics.

Catalogue data

• Your brand logo, if the brand is new to Zalando.
• Size charts for every brand and silhouette.
• Seasons (and "never out of stock" articles) plus image and content guidelines. Non-compliant images are rejected at validation.

This is where most catalogues get stuck. I've covered it in two separate pieces: the ideal data structure for Zalando and the most common upload errors and how to fix them.

Logistics (if you ship yourself)

• Signed contracts with an approved last-mile carrier and return carrier.
• Documents in every parcel: delivery note, return note, return flyer and return label.
• Invoices on request to Zalando's standards (mandatory in the parcel for Belgium and France).
• An EU returns address and return tracking.

Country-specific requirements

• EPR (extended producer responsibility): you need an EPR registration number for Germany, Austria, France, Spain and Italy, uploaded to zDirect.
• France: the Triman logo and sorting instructions on articles and packaging.
• Italy: packaging material identified with an alphanumeric code, and disposal instructions on B2C packaging.

The onboarding stages

Once the contract is signed, Partner Program onboarding runs through these stages:

Go-live isn't the finish line: Zalando scores every partner's operational performance, country by country, with its Customer Experience Model (CXM) KPIs, and runs random test orders. Cancellations, late shipments and untracked returns all weigh on your visibility.

How to connect your catalogue: three options

• Third-party integrator. Connects your ERP or inventory system to Zalando via API, syncing in real time. Zalando names Tradebyte as its preferred integrator. You own the contract and the technical connection.
• Direct integration (API). A custom connection for products, prices, images and stock, with orders routed back to your systems. It needs Zalando's prior approval and a technical team: Zalando talks about roughly two REST API developers, plus a project manager and tester on large projects.
• zDirect UI. You create articles by hand in the interface, with no technical skills. But it's only available to ZFS partners, and it's meant for assortments of up to 200 articles per season.

For a fashion catalogue with thousands of SKUs, the realistic choice is almost always an integrator. The tool matters less than the quality of the data you feed it.

What selling on Zalando costs

Zalando doesn't publish a Partner Program fee schedule: terms are in your contract. According to trade press, marketplace service fees became uniform for all partners from September 2026, with temporary reductions running to the end of 2027. Before you start, your per-SKU calculation needs:

• Zalando's commission on sales.
• Logistics: ZFS costs, or carrier, packaging and free returns if you ship yourself.
• Your integrator, if you use one.
• Returns. In fashion, this is the line that most surprises brands coming from their own store.
• Catalogue adaptation: compliant photos, translations, size charts, labelling.

If you haven't run that calculation product by product, you don't yet know whether a Zalando sale makes you money. And keep prices consistent with your own site: undercutting yourself on the marketplace starts a price war against your own brand.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to sell on Zalando?

There is no public sign-up form on the partner portal: entry to the Partner Program goes through a Zalando Sales Manager. What you can do is arrive ready, with markets, logistics, integration method and catalogue already worked out.

Do I need a VAT number to sell on Zalando?

Yes: your company's VAT number, plus your warehouse's if it's in another country. ZFS also requires a German VAT number.

What are Zalando's seller fees?

There's no public price list: fees are set in the Partner Program contract, and since September 2026 they're the same for all partners. Besides the commission, budget for logistics, free returns and your integrator.

ZFS or my own warehouse?

ZFS takes logistics off your hands and opens up zDirect UI for small catalogues, but it requires a German VAT number and stock in Zalando's warehouses. Self-fulfilment keeps you in control of stock, but you have to meet the approved-carrier, parcel-document and operational KPI requirements.

How long does it take to go live?

Mostly it depends on the quality of your catalogue data. With data, sizes and images already compliant, uploading takes a few days. With data to fix, I've seen catalogues stuck for weeks or months.

Sources

• Zalando Partner University: Pre-onboarding and your onboarding requirements
• Zalando Partner University: Integration options (updated 27/11/2025)
• Zalando Partner University: Onboard with Zalando
• Retail-News: Connected Retail ends, single partner model (23/04/2026)