Category: Consumer electronics · Region: Germany · Engagement: Brand authorization + marketplace expansion advisory
The starting point
A founder with a profitable single-domain electronics store doing roughly €40k/month was ready to expand to marketplaces but kept getting rejected on gated brand listings. He had been buying through a German wholesaler with no formal authorization, which Amazon’s brand registry team flagged repeatedly.
What we did
- Audited current supply chain and identified three suppliers operating outside authorization
- Replaced them with authorized distributor relationships and obtained brand letters for six premium brands
- Onboarded the catalogue to Amazon DE, bol.com, Kaufland, and OTTO over a 5-month rollout
- Set up shared fulfillment with a German 3PL handling all four channels
Nine-month results
- Monthly revenue: €127,000 (from €40k baseline)
- Marketplace share: 56% of monthly revenue by month 9
- Brand registry rejections: zero since onboarding completed
- Net margin held flat despite marketplace fees
What made it work
The decision to walk away from the original wholesaler felt risky at the time — it meant short-term margin compression — but it unlocked all four marketplace channels permanently. Sometimes the slower path is the only path.