Opening your own Amazon account in Europe means VAT registrations, EPR registrations, account verification and ongoing operations before you sell a single product. For many brands that is a big investment just to find out whether Amazon works for them. A Merchant of Record model offers a different route.
What is a Merchant of Record?
A Merchant of Record (MOR) is the legal seller of a product in a transaction. On Amazon, the MOR is the company whose seller account sells the product to the customer. It is responsible for the sale, invoicing, VAT and the obligations that come with being the seller on that channel.
When you work with a Merchant of Record partner, your brand and products are sold on Amazon, but through the partner's existing account, registrations and logistics setup.
How the Retime MOR model works
- Onboarding: we review your products, pricing, packaging and compliance, and agree on the product range and markets.
- Listing and logistics: we create or optimise the listings and ship your products to Amazon's FBA warehouses.
- Selling and advertising: we sell the products through our Amazon account and run the advertising to build sales and ranking.
- Settlement: you receive a monthly settlement and reporting on sales and performance.
Retime acts as the seller of record, which means we take care of VAT and compliance on the Amazon channel. The product itself must still meet EU safety and labelling requirements, and we go through this together during onboarding. Read more on our Merchant of Record page.
MOR vs your own Amazon account
With your own account you own the seller account, the data and the direct relationship with Amazon. It gives the most control, but requires registrations, time and ongoing management.
With a MOR model you use a ready setup. You get to market faster and with less administration, but the Amazon account belongs to the partner. For a detailed comparison, see Agency vs Merchant of Record.
When is Merchant of Record the right choice?
The MOR model is a good fit when:
- You want to test Amazon Europe quickly without setting up your own account and registrations.
- Your company does not want to handle VAT registrations and EPR obligations in several countries.
- You have a limited team and want one partner to handle everything from logistics to advertising.
- You sell through resellers and want a controlled, brand-friendly presence on Amazon.
Your own account is usually the better long-term choice when Amazon becomes a major strategic channel and you want full ownership of the account and data. Many brands start with MOR and move to their own account later.
What does a MOR partnership require?
At Retime not every brand gets into the MOR model. We assess each brand and its products to see whether they are a good fit for selling through our account.
FAQ
Who owns the Amazon listing in a Merchant of Record model?
The listing is sold through the MOR partner's seller account. Your brand remains yours, and with Brand Registry the brand owner keeps control over brand content.
Do I need a VAT registration in Germany if I sell through a MOR?
No. As the seller of record, the MOR partner takes care of VAT on the Amazon channel.
How fast can I start selling with a Merchant of Record?
Usually much faster than with your own account, because the account, registrations and logistics are already in place.
Can I move to my own Amazon account later?
Yes. Many brands use MOR to prove the channel and then move to their own account managed by an agency.
Can every brand join the MOR model?
No. Retime assesses every brand and its products to decide whether they suit the MOR model.
Talk to Retime
Tell us about your brand and markets and we will suggest the fastest route to sales on Amazon.