EPR for Marketplace Sellers
Selling on Amazon, eBay, or Etsy? You still have EPR obligations on the packaging you use and the products you sell.
Marketplace sellers on platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and others are not exempt from EPR. Your obligations depend on your role:
- If you sell own-brand products — you are the brand owner and responsible for all product packaging
- If you import and resell — you are the importer and responsible for all packaging on imported goods
- If you self-fulfil — you are responsible for fulfilment packaging (boxes, mailers, void fill)
- If you use FBA/marketplace fulfilment — the marketplace handles fulfilment packaging but you remain responsible for product packaging
Many marketplace sellers fall below the EPR thresholds (£1 million turnover, 25 tonnes of packaging). But if you are growing fast, you should start tracking packaging data before you cross the threshold.
See our Amazon seller EPR guide for platform-specific compliance details.
Your Key Obligations
- Determine your EPR role (brand owner, importer, seller)
- Track product packaging if you are the brand owner or importer
- Track fulfilment packaging if you self-fulfil orders
- Monitor turnover and tonnage thresholds as you grow
- Register when you cross the obligation thresholds
- Submit data to DEFRA via the RPD portal
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Common Questions
Does Amazon handle EPR for FBA sellers?
Amazon handles the fulfilment packaging for FBA orders. But you remain responsible for the product packaging (the packaging your product comes in before it goes to Amazon). You also need to ensure any prep packaging you apply before sending to FBA is accounted for.
Am I below the threshold as a small seller?
If your annual turnover is below £1 million OR you handle less than 25 tonnes of packaging per year, you are not currently obligated. But track your packaging anyway — you may cross the threshold as your business grows.
Do I need to register for each marketplace?
No. EPR registration is per business entity, not per marketplace. You register once with DEFRA and report aggregated packaging data across all your sales channels.
What about cross-border selling?
EPR applies to packaging on goods sold within the UK. If you sell to EU customers from the UK, the UK packaging is not subject to UK EPR (it may be subject to the destination country's EPR). UK sales from any marketplace are UK-obligated.
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