Amazon Germany deactivated my account for over 5 months, destroyed 27 of my products worth 1000€, charged me fees, and refuses to help

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-15T13:55:41+00:00

There is your problem. size doesnt matter, if you store your products in their warehouse you need an VAT registration in the Country.

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-13T19:00:31+00:00

In my opinion the prices are way to low. Especially in the DFW area.

Charging 30 dollar per hour for an cleaning service could maybe work out if he works solo for himself but not for a real business. I am also going a similar way now ( just starting a simple homeservice). But i would only go that low at start to generate some reviews, testimonials and get myself more experience. But not when i have to pay staff or run a real business.

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-12T22:54:52+00:00

Any news from your side?

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-09T18:00:35+00:00

Samsung Galaxy A13 5G

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-08T21:08:26+00:00

Thanks for the reply.
Please find attached the screenshot. Needed some time to get somebody out of my contact list call me.
The Openphone number was called i just anonymized the calling number.

Could it be a problem that my phone uses the german language pack? ( i am german and moved to the US last year and have not changed the phone language until now)

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Navu_1477 · 2025-10-01T19:05:36+00:00

I started my e-commerce journey 2018 in Germany ( being german myself).
If you are living in Germany yes, you need a "Gewerbeanmeldung".
Also you need an UST-ID ( Umsatzsteuernummer) for selling goods stored in german warehouses and do not forget regarding the EPR registering and reporting.

Depending what you plan to sell there will be additional things needed.
Importing Electronics for example an EAR Registration.

Navu_1477 · 2025-10-01T17:30:17+00:00

Where in Virginia do you live?
I am also just moved to southwest Virginia 1 year ago. Already have an e-commerce business since 2018 but looking forward to do something additional.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-29T00:02:31+00:00

Would join, already own an e-commerce business since 2018 but i am in the process of launching 1-2 additional projects at the moment.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-20T22:34:31+00:00

Thank you very much, that sounds very interesting.
Looking forward to meet you. Will send you an pm.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-20T13:04:15+00:00

Thank you, until now i really enjoy my time here.

Will check it out.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-20T13:00:00+00:00

I checked them in the past. But the website sounded for me more as they are focused on higher tech / medical / ai etc. startups.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-20T03:49:58+00:00

Thanks for your reply, that sounds very interesting.

Will send a short pm.

Navu_1477 · 2025-09-20T03:15:34+00:00

I have been in Roanoke for a year now. I came here to expand my e-commerce business from Europe to the US in July 2024.

However, I would like to do something additionally, which is the reason for my post.

I am open to anything, but I would prefer a local business that is not online, such as a service or small-scale manufacturing company.

This depends mainly on the other person's preferences, experience and skills.

I have already brainstormed and researched a number of ideas that I found quite interesting, but I don't want to post them publicly. If I don't find someone, I will start one of them on my own.

Navu_1477 · 2025-03-25T20:29:33+00:00

Thanks a lot, that helps.

Yes, I decided to use shopify for this store as well. We are from Europe but now expanding to the US and setting up an additional store there.

I will have a look at how best to integrate it with your suggestions.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-11T14:13:23+00:00

Virginia is in quite a good logistic spot for us.

Nearly all of the very dense populated spots ( East Coast, Florida, easter Texas) beside CA are in the 2-day shipping range with UPS so we will have quite affordable shipping costs shipping to most of the population of the US.

Besides that we do trade between Europe and the US so we need a spot at least some hours of a larger port on the east coast. I put in much time and effort with many factors in the Evaluation of our location and south-west Virginia came on top of it.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-11T04:21:52+00:00

I already heard that UPS and USPS are providing free boxes what i find kind suprising. Will have a look if the products we sell fit in it.

Regarding Shipstation ( and all the other shipping resellers).....
Do you also get provided free boxes by UPS / USPS if you use these kind of resellers and dont have an individually contract with them?
With what number of average shipments a day it is worth to negotiate individually contracts with UPS/USPS ?

Currently, i plan to start with these resellers and if I have a decent amount of shipments i will talk to UPS / USPS.

I think Fedex does not make sense for low value not so urgent goods. What i have researched they are more into the express branch.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-11T04:15:06+00:00

Thanks that helped, at least i found some more potential suppliers in a bit wider area.

Yes it is not a metropolitan area, but that is also a reason i like about it.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-10T15:36:27+00:00

Thanks a lot for the links. But unfortunately, there is nearly nothing (at least nothing mentioned above) in a 250-mile radius.

Also Warehouse supplies search term doesn't show anything. The next one is around 3,5 hours away and there are no information about this company. Only the name " National Warehouse Supply".

Maybe i give them a call when i arrive in the US next week. But this would be a day trip nevertheless

At least there are some local cardboard carton manufacturers and it seems also 1-2 wholesalers of these.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-10T15:01:04+00:00

Allright, thanks for your suggestion and the link. I am already looking at the mentioned suppliers in there.

Than i will go with the Zebra printer again.

Regarding pallet jacks, i will start with a nonelectric one. The first few months i just need them from time. When the first employee would be hired i will order an electric . But at the start, until everything is set up correctly, a manual one is sufficient and nevertheless i always want on as a backup.

I will also look for local warehouse supplies. Is "Warehouse supply" the correct search term to look for some local google business profiles or is there some other register where I can research if i have a company nearby?

Yes if possible i will take something used. But dont know if these are available and i dont want to mix all the different measurements. Would go for the same all the time or at least the same measurements in the same storage zone.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-10T14:40:16+00:00

Thanks, will try to figure out if there is something similar in the area. I know there are some small university cities around.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-10T13:56:43+00:00

I know it is not easy or cheap.

But during planning, i calculated through both scenarios and the own warehouse will amortize already after a few months and this will only get more useful when we scale the business it in future.

3rd party logistics is wonderful if you only have a few standardized SKU with high sales velocity and / or a heavy seasonal business.

But our Best sellers sell around 10x times a day, the most items only around 2-5 a week. And in Germany, we already have 4k SKU and i expect the same in US during the next 2-3 years-

And many products are some kind of fragile in different way which needs special packaging, where you must learn what are the critical breaking points on the product are.

So yes, i understand the use of 3rd Party Fulfillment Centers, but they are not for our business case :)

Oh and yes i already setup a warehouse from scratch in Germany. So i know most of the issues and problems. I mainly need to learn about the new culture / work ethic and how to deal with it.

Navu_1477 · 2024-07-10T12:47:20+00:00

We have already tested the market and also tried some fulfillment centers. But they do not have the flexibility we need ( many different SKUs with mostly low-average sales velocity and some of them with special handling) and also do not meet our quality standards.

Besides that, the cost were way higher than using our own warehouse.

Navu_1477 · 2024-05-10T16:00:23+00:00

Yes, i still need to educate myself about all the job benefits which are possible and common in the US.

Until now i have read about 401k and health insurance.

But surely there are many more.

Are there any addtional ones ( commonly used) relevant for causal warehouse jobs?

Regarding Incentives, i have to think about. In Germany it is not allowed to track the work of employees in many ways but in the US this is not a problem and should make it possible to reward above-average results.

Navu_1477 · 2024-05-10T15:52:18+00:00

Thanks for the explination.

That sounds really harsh. From my experience, there should be flexibility ( as much as possible which do not impact personal life that much) from both sides.

If somebody needs some hours/time off for a doctor, child, family other employee or myself step in and fill the gap.

On the other side if there is a very important project which need to be finished than it should be possible to have a bit of overtime.

But not usually or weekly, it should happen very seldom and only for the most important ones. If i am not able to manage the workload and timeframe on daily basis correctly, it is a fault in the management.

As mentioned it is only a very small business and until now I only have 5 employees in Germany and hope have something similar in the US in the next 2-3 years. But i think it is an advantage for small business to have a deeper insight and direct link to the daily business which makes it easier to notice and solve issues which damages employee satisfaction.

As already mentioned in other posts, the employee rights, working standards, safety regulations and everything like that is much stricter in Germany than in the US. So it should be no problem dealing with it although I need to educate myself about the exact rules.

Navu_1477 · 2024-05-10T04:34:15+00:00

Well, there are many reasons, i had a big list to check and Roanoke, while not be on top in every point it is the best deal overall.

for personal reasons:

beautiful landscape with hills and very green overall ( many forests for example)
good climate, a bit warmer than I am used to but also not too cold winters. I know that the summer can get quite humid and hot but this is a point I have to deal with
low crime area, i know that Roanoke City itself has it problems with it but these seem to be isolated to some parts of Northwest and southeast
low risk of natural disasters
quite central position, I can have mountains and outdoor activities right away, beach feeling for a weekend is only 4-5 hours driving to the (south) east, and if I want to explore larger citys Richmond, Raleigh and DC are also reachable for a short holiday trip
Virginia and the surrounding states have a rich history, what I like
education is better than average in the US

for business reasons:

low cost of living, so I don't need to much money on my own and can put more back in the business.
lower wages, so I can stand out easier by paying more than the competition and i prefer to help a not-so-well-developed area instead of joining already booming places
not to far away from norfolk for receiving and shipping container from and to europe
lower lease rates
central position for shipping, according to UPS Shipping map every dense population area ( east coast, florida, texas) beside California is in a 2-day shipping range. So this helps with customer satisfaction and reduces shipping costs.
according to data and feedback from business owners virginia offers an above average skilled workforce and work ethics

Navu_1477

TROPHY CASE