Shipping Between EU Countries: A Buyer's Guide
How cross-border shipping works in Europe — carrier comparison, cost estimates, insurance, and what 'pickup only' really means.
Shipping is the hidden cost of cross-border buying. A €200 deal can become a €280 deal after shipping and fees. Here's how European shipping works, what to expect to pay, and how to handle it so you don't end up with a smashed package and no recourse.
The carriers
DPD: Good coverage across Western and Central Europe. Reliable tracking. Typical price: €15-25 for a 5 kg box. Heavier items (20+ kg) run €30-60. Offers insurance up to €520 by default.
DHL: The best for Germany and neighboring countries. Good tracking, generally reliable. Similar pricing to DPD. DHL Paket International covers most of Europe. For valuable items, DHL Express is faster but costs more.
GLS: Strong in the Benelux, France, Spain, and Italy. Usually cheaper than DPD/DHL for southern Europe. Tracking is less detailed than DHL but functional.
Mondial Relay: Point-relay service. Cheapest option for France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg. The seller drops the package at a pickup point, you collect from one near you. €6-12 for small packages. Slower (4-8 days) and tracking is basic. Good for non-urgent, non-fragile items.
PostNL / Bpost / La Poste / Deutsche Post: National postal services. Cheap for small, light items (under 2 kg). Tracking varies by country and service level. Insurance usually limited or absent.
Chronopost (France) / SEUR (Spain) / Bartolini (Italy): Express domestic carriers that do cross-border. Faster but more expensive. Worth it for time-sensitive or fragile items.
Cost estimates
Shipping cost depends on weight, dimensions, and distance. Approximate prices for a single package within the EU:
| Weight | Neighboring country | Across Europe |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 kg | €8-15 | €12-20 |
| 5 kg | €12-20 | €18-30 |
| 10 kg | €18-30 | €25-45 |
| 20 kg | €25-45 | €35-70 |
Bulky items (furniture, large instruments, bikes, ...) often ship on pallets and cost €60-150 depending on distance and whether the seller has a pallet account. Some carriers won't handle items over 31.5 kg. Above that you're in freight territory.
Who arranges shipping
On most platforms, the seller arranges shipping. They list a price or offer to calculate it. Some sellers refuse to ship at all, and prefer local-pickup only. This is for example more common on Kleinanzeigen, Marktplaats, and Leboncoin.
If a listing says "pickup only," you have two options:
- Ask politely if they'd ship. Offer to pay the full cost and handle the paperwork. Some sellers agree if you make it easy for them.
- Use a third-party pickup-and-ship service (like Packlink or Eurosender). You buy the label, send it to the seller, they stick it on the box and drop it off.
If the seller is willing to ship but doesn't know how, you can buy a label on Packlink or Eurosender, email the PDF to the seller, and they attach it to the package. This shifts the logistics burden to you but is often the only way to get a pickup-only seller to ship.
Insurance
Most carriers include basic insurance (€25-500 depending on the service). For items worth more, buy additional insurance, especially if the item is valuable. It's usually €5-15 extra and covers the declared value. Without insurance, a lost or damaged package means you lose your money with no recourse unless the platform's buyer protection covers it.
Important: The seller must declare the correct value when buying insurance. If they declare €50 to save €2 on insurance and the €500 item arrives broken, insurance pays €50. Ask the seller what value they declared.
Customs within Europe
EU to EU: No customs, no VAT. Free movement of goods. This covers all 27 EU member states.
UK to EU: Since Brexit, UK purchases incur VAT (your country's rate, typically 19-27%) plus a customs handling fee (€10-20) charged by the carrier. A £300 item can cost roughly £60-90 extra on delivery. Factor this in before buying from UK eBay.
Switzerland/Norway to EU: Not in the EU customs union. VAT and fees apply, similar to UK imports. Varies by country.
Northern Ireland: Even though Northern Ireland is not part of the EU, there are no customs with the EU (nor with the UK). A useful workaround if you're buying from a UK seller with NI stock.