Bol Opens to Non-EU Sellers
The Netherlands’ largest e-commerce marketplace, Bol, has allowed sellers from outside the European Union to join its platform for the first time in its history.
Bol.com has opened its doors to e-commerce sellers outside the European Union (EU). Accordingly, the first 100 sellers are expected to join the platform in 2025. The company emphasizes that it will apply strict quality controls, especially for products coming from countries such as China. Products must be stored within Europe.
Unlike the five largest e-commerce markets in Europe, Amazon is not the market leader in the Netherlands and Belgium. Bol has maintained its leadership in both countries for years. The platform has a trade volume of €5.9 billion, revenues of €3.1 billion, and an operating profit (EBITDA) of €185 million. However, Amazon is closing the gap.
Bol Opened to EU Sellers in 2011
Bol opened its platform to third-party sellers in 2011. The number of partners—first from the Netherlands and Belgium, then from other European countries—exceeded 50,000. At one point, about two-thirds of Bol’s total trade volume came from these third-party sellers. In recent years, this ratio dropped to half, along with a slight decline in the number of partners. Like Amazon, Bol also offers services in areas such as logistics and advertising.
On the other hand, Bol is increasingly facing pressure from international e-commerce competition, especially from China. In response, the market leader is now opening its platform to non-EU sellers.
“We Don’t See a Major Direct Impact from Foreign Competitors’ Growth”
Oscar Hundman, Bol’s Director of E-Commerce, said in a statement, “We are doing quite well.” He added: “When we look at ourselves, we don’t currently see a major direct impact from the growth of foreign competitors. However, we do notice that there is a change in the market, and we want to be part of this change.”
Regarding the broader expansion of the platform, Hundman said: “We see that consumer needs are changing. People are increasingly aware that great products are available all around the world. We want to respond to this and eliminate any reason for consumers to turn to other platforms—especially those that sell poor-quality products.”
“Quality Is Not a Promise—It Is a Requirement”
Hundman stated that Bol is not aiming to add a large number of new products or sellers all at once. Instead, the company wants to expand its range with products not currently available on the site. He emphasized the importance of the quality of both sellers and products, noting that storing products in Europe is mandatory: “For us, quality is not a promise—it is a requirement. That’s why we can’t open the platform completely at this stage.”
According to Hundman, opening to high-quality sellers outside the EU will help Bol “remain as local as possible in the eyes of consumers.” “As long as customers keep coming to us to shop, we can keep much larger competitors at bay.”