Professional Seller Guide

This is our Professional Seller Guide - everything you need to know about becoming a professional seller, the perks and expectations that come with being a professional seller, and the legal requirements of running your own business on Cardmarket.

Learn About

1. Becoming a Professional Seller on Cardmarket
2. Perks and Expectations for Professional Sellers on Cardmarket
3. Personal Shipping Methods
4. Invoicing on Cardmarket
5. Legal Obligations for Professional Sellers
6. Regional Regulations Concerning Lost Orders

There are two main ways to become a professional seller on Cardmarket. The first, and easiest is to create a new professional seller account the same way you would any other account. Just select professional seller and fill in the required information, which includes your telephone number, a photo ID scan, and a scan of your business registration/trade license. Additionally, German professionals must provide a valid VAT ID in order to buy or sell any products on Cardmarket. Non-German professionals within the EU still need to submit a VAT ID if they want to sell to users outside of their country. Once you've done all that and we've reviewed your application to make sure everything is in order, you will have a new professional seller account with all of the perks and expectations that account entails.

The other way, if you already have a private seller account with evaluations that you would like to transfer to your pro account is to contact customer support and ask them to change your account. You will, as with the above, have to provide a telephone number and business registration/trade license scan. Our support will review your request and change your account if the information is correct.

Professional sellers generally have the same expectations as private sellers on Cardmarket. Keep in mind that buyers will view your business differently than a private seller, so clear, fast communication is key to running a successful shop on Cardmarket.

As for perks, professional sellers are not limited by any selling restrictions on the website. You of course are still responsible for any tax burden the higher sales volume might require from you, but Cardmarket will allow you to sell as much as you like. You can also apply for pre-sale status. You can find our pre-sale eligibility requirements and rules on this page. Additionally, you get access to a very unique feature: personal shipping methods.

Personal shipping methods allow professional sellers to create their own unique shipping prices and methods to either cover gaps in our available options, or offer discounts to users to encourage sales. These have proven to be highly effective, but there are some rules, which you can see below:

You cannot...

• create store pickup shipping methods. When a user makes a purchase, you must ship that purchase to their address unless the buyer is interested in a different arrangement ahead of time.
• use product-specific shipping methods. These are very hard for buyers to understand and create a transparency issue for you and the website.

You can...

• create shipping methods offering free shipping on purchases with X value or more to encourage sales.
• create shipping methods that let your buyers benefit from other shipping agencies that Cardmarket hasn't listed.
• create shipping methods with cheaper rates if you have a shipping partner offering a lower rate.

Invoicing on Cardmarket

If one professional user sells to another professional, the seller has to issue an invoice on the buyer's request. Based on the European commmission's VAT invoicing rules, invoicing between companies is subject to certain requirements, which can be found below:

Invoices Within Germany

According to §14 of the German VAT law (UStG), invoices have to contain this information:

• Full name and full address of the seller and the buyer
• Tax number or VAT identification number (USt-IdNr.)
• Date of issue for the invoice
• Sequential invoice number
• Quantity and description of the delivered goods or the type and scope of the provided services
• Date of the delivery or service
• Price for the delivery or service broken down according to tax rates and exemptions
• Bonuses, discounts, and rebates
• Reference to a tax exemption (if applicable, e.g. small business regulation)

Invoices Within the European Union

EU-wide regulations apply here, as well as national regulations. Invoices have to contain this information:

• Full name and address of the seller and buyer
• Tax number or VAT identification number (VAT ID no.)
• Date of issue for the invoice
• Sequential invoice number
• Quantity and description of the delivered goods or the type and scope of the provided services
• Date of the delivery or service
• Price for the delivery or service broken down by tax rates and exemptions
• Bonuses, discounts, and rebates
• Reference to a tax exemption (if applicable, e.g. reverse charge)
• VAT identification number for the buyer
• Additional specific information depending on the type of delivery or service

Taxpayer Identification Numbers, Tax Numbers, and VAT-IDs

There are a few different tax-related numbers for users selling on Cardmarket, and they can seem and sound similar, so we’ve put a quick guide below to help you distinguish between them.

Tax Identification Number: This is the number every naturalized EU citizen gets in some form or another in the country where they were born.

Tax Number: This is the tax number professional sellers get when they have a company (GmbH, KG, etc.,)

VAT-ID: Value-added tax identification number or VAT identification number is used in the EU to identify value-added tax transactions - usually a business transaction.

Additional Information

If a Professional buyer wants to buy from you VAT free, they need to establish this before the sale. Otherwise, our Terms & Conditions relays the rule for invoicing, directly from the EU:

The respective item price is the final price, including any applicable VAT. Shipping costs are not included in the item price.

Certain national regulations may also apply to transactions where an invoice is required.

It is important to obey the applicable regulations in order to avoid tax problems and ensure that invoices are legally valid. Professional users should contact their tax advisor or lawyer if they have questions about their tax obligations.

In addition to Cardmarket’s requirements, there are a handful of legal obligations all professional sellers must follow, which of course means Power Sellers also need to pay careful attention:

1. All professional/power sellers are obligated to refund lost orders, according to the respective laws. To learn more, check out the Regional Regulations section below. 
   1. Using a Cardmarket-certified shipping method on the website protects you from this law as the value of your order will be covered by the Trustee Service on Cardmarket.
2. Every professional seller must keep in mind that a buyer has the right to return the product (the right of revocation). Once the buyer receives it, they have 14 days to return the merchandise (as is stated in the European Trade Act). No justification is required on the part of the buyer for this.
3. Lastly, all professional sellers commit to the fulfillment of the sales contract. We understand that out-of-stock or incorrect orders may occur, but the seller is still legally required to find a satisfactory solution for the buyer. You can always contact customer service if you need help mediating a dispute and finding a satisfactory solution for the buyer.

European Union: Passing of Risks Art. 20 Directive of the European Parliament on Consumer Rights.

Germany: Gefahrenübergang: §§ 447, 474 Abs. 1, 475 Abs. 2 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)

Spain: Transmision del riesgo: Art. 66 ter Ley General para la Defensa de los Consumidores

France: Risque de perte: Art. L216-2 Code de la consommation

Italy: Passaggio del rischio: Art. 63 Codice del Consumo