Business liability
Pays when goods you sold injure someone or damage property, provided extended products liability for imports and shipping abroad is included.
Insurance broker / Business types / Retail and wholesale
Insurance for online retailers and web shops in Germany
In online retail the shop floor sits on a server, and the stock often comes straight from Asia. If you import, you are liable like a manufacturer, and if you store customer data, you are a target for attackers. This page shows which policies protect your shop against the typical losses and what they cost.
The question almost everyone asks first
Am I liable as a retailer if a product from China injures someone?
Very probably, yes. Under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz), anyone importing goods from a country outside the EU counts as the manufacturer, and the injured party can come straight to you. Your liability policy must therefore include products liability for imported goods, ideally with worldwide cover if you sell abroad.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Imported products
A charger that overheats, a toy with small parts a child can swallow: as the importer you are liable for the damage as if you had built the product yourself.
- 02
Hackers in the shop
Encrypted stock control, stolen customer data or tampered checkout pages: an attack takes the shop offline and triggers reporting duties under the GDPR.
- 03
Shop offline
If the shop goes down for two days in the middle of the Christmas rush, you lose the sales that carry half your year.
- 04
Fire in the warehouse
Cardboard, film and lithium batteries packed tightly together: a warehouse fire destroys the stock and often the packing station too.
- 05
Damage in transit
Broken ceramics, lost parcels, goods that never arrive: carriers are only liable up to a limit, and you still owe the customer a replacement.
- 06
Cease and desist letters
Faulty legal notices, cancellation terms or trade mark issues quickly lead to an Abmahnung, a formal warning letter from a competitor's lawyer, and fighting it is expensive.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Cyber insurance
Covers IT forensics, data recovery, the GDPR notification and lost sales while the shop is down after an attack.
Cargo insurance
Replaces goods damaged or lost on the way to the customer or from the supplier, beyond the carrier's limited liability.
Business contents
Replaces warehouse stock, shelving and packing equipment after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary.
Depends on the business
Business interruption
Pays running costs and lost profit if the warehouse cannot ship after property damage.
Business legal expenses
Helps in disputes with suppliers, landlords or staff; defence against warning letters is only offered as an add on by a few insurers.
Trade credit insurance
Protects you against bad debts when you supply business customers on invoice.
What it costs: example prices
For small shops liability cover is cheap; cyber and transit cover cost more. The premium depends on turnover, product range, the share of imported goods and the countries you deliver to.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Small online shop with products liability, shipping within the EU | around 80 to 300 euros a year |
| Business liability | Shop with its own imports from Asia and worldwide shipping | around 300 to 1,200 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Online shop with 250,000 euros turnover, 100,000 to 250,000 euros cover | around 400 to 900 euros a year |
| Cargo insurance | Shipping your own goods to private customers | around 180 to 600 euros a year |
| Business contents | Warehouse with stock and packing equipment worth 50,000 euros | around 100 to 300 euros a year |
For comparison: For a small shop, liability and cyber cover cost about as much a year as the postage on 150 parcels.
Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples and our own quoting practice. Product range and the share of imports can shift the premium considerably; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Start
For: side business or small shop selling goods sourced within the EU
- Business liability
Together around 80 to 300 euros a year
Request this package02
Shop
For: online retailer with its own warehouse and imported goods
- Business liability
- Cyber insurance
- Business contents
- Cargo insurance
Together around 900 to 2,200 euros a year
Request this package03
Full cover
For: retailer on several marketplaces with staff and business customers
- Business liability
- Cyber insurance
- Business contents
- Cargo insurance
- Business interruption
- Business legal expenses
Together around 2,000 to 4,500 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day in the online shop
Six losses that online retailers really face, all on one Monday in December. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€87,200
-
The shop shows nothing but a ransom demand; orders and customer data are encrypted. Forensics, recovery and a report to the data protection authority.
-
Three days without a sale at the height of the Christmas trade. The lost profit is paid under the cyber policy.
-
An imported power bank overheats in a customer's child's bedroom. Fire damage to furniture and carpet.
-
A pallet of handmade ceramics arrives broken at a trade customer. The haulier's liability is limited by weight.
-
A former employee sues for unpaid overtime, and the dispute goes to the labour court.
-
In the warehouse, a returned e-scooter battery on charge catches fire. Stock and shelving burn.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Make sure products liability expressly includes imports from outside the EU, and for every country you deliver to.
- If you sell through international marketplaces, ask whether claims in the USA and Canada are covered, as exclusions are common there.
- Choose cyber cover that also pays for lost sales while the shop is offline, not only for forensics and data recovery.
- Deliberately include returns and lithium batteries in your warehouse cover, and follow the fire safety conditions for charging batteries.
- Check the value per consignment: carriers' liability often ends at 500 euros, and your transit cover should go beyond that.
- Have sales through Amazon, eBay or Etsy named in the policy, as some insurers ask about them separately.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We read products liability line by line
With imported goods, everything hinges on cover for non EU products and claims abroad. As a broker we compare exactly these clauses across several insurers.
We know how a claim travels
We settle boat insurance claims ourselves. We know which evidence an insurer needs after goods are damaged in transit or a warehouse burns, and we help you submit all of it.
Digital and physical risks in one place
We look after the shop, warehouse, vehicle, pension and your personal cover together, so no gap opens up between two policies.
A family business since 1989
You talk to people, not a chatbot, on +49 3375 29 12 77. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I need public liability insurance as an online retailer?
Not by law, but it is your most important policy as soon as you sell goods that could injure someone or damage property. For importers it is practically essential.
What does liability insurance cost for an online shop?
Small shops start at around 80 euros a year. With a large share of imports and worldwide shipping, the premium can rise to several hundred and even over a thousand euros.
Are warning letters (Abmahnungen) covered?
Usually not. Standard business legal expenses insurance excludes competition and trade mark law. A few insurers offer cover against warning letters as a separate add on, often with limits.
Is cyber insurance worth it for a small shop?
Often yes, because small shops rarely have their own IT department. Basic cover starts at a few hundred euros a year, and after an attack the insurer also provides specialists.
Who pays if a parcel gets lost?
You do, at first, because the risk stays with you until the consumer receives the goods. The carrier's liability is limited, and transit insurance closes the gap above it.
Is dropshipping covered?
Only if the policy describes it that way. Even without a warehouse of your own, you are the seller in the customer's eyes, and with non EU suppliers you are often the importer too.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Online shop
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Related trades
Will the insurer pay if someone steals goods from my shop?
Am I liable for faulty goods I only resell?
Do I need IT liability and cyber insurance, or is one enough?
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 47.91 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für den Einzelhandel ohne ausgeprägten Schwerpunkt
- 47.92 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für den Einzelhandel mit ausgeprägtem Schwerpunkt
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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