# 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.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-online-shop.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## 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.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance requirement; some marketplaces do ask for proof of liability cover in certain product categories
- **Biggest risk:** Liability as an importer for faulty products, and a shop that stands still after a cyber attack
- **Basic cover from:** around 80 euros a year for the public and products liability of a small shop
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** BGHW, the statutory accident insurer for retail and logistics, compulsory for every shop with staff, including minijobbers (employees on small monthly earnings) packing parcels
- **Often forgotten:** Products from outside the EU: whoever first brings them into the EU is liable as if they were the manufacturer
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 47.91 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für den Einzelhandel ohne ausgeprägten Schwerpunkt, 47.92 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für den Einzelhandel mit ausgeprägtem Schwerpunkt

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **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.
- **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.
- **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.
- **Fire in the warehouse:** Cardboard, film and lithium batteries packed tightly together: a warehouse fire destroys the stock and often the packing station too.
- **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.
- **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.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 2, Theft 2, Cyber 5, Downtime 4, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays when goods you sold injure someone or damage property, provided extended products liability for imports and shipping abroad is included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers IT forensics, data recovery, the GDPR notification and lost sales while the shop is down after an attack. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Replaces goods damaged or lost on the way to the customer or from the supplier, beyond the carrier's limited liability. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces warehouse stock, shelving and packing equipment after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Pays running costs and lost profit if the warehouse cannot ship after property damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): Helps in disputes with suppliers, landlords or staff; defence against warning letters is only offered as an add on by a few insurers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Trade credit insurance** (Depends on the business): Protects you against bad debts when you supply business customers on invoice. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-trade-credit.php

## 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._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Onlinehandel](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-onlinehandel.html)
- [Insurancy: Kosten der Cyber-Versicherung](https://www.insurancy.de/cyber-versicherung/kosten/)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für den Einzelhandel](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/einzelhandel)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (side business or small shop selling goods sourced within the EU): Business liability. Together: around 80 to 300 euros a year
- **Shop** (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
- **Full cover** (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

## The 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.

- 07:05: The shop shows nothing but a ransom demand; orders and customer data are encrypted. Forensics, recovery and a report to the data protection authority. (€18,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 07:10: Three days without a sale at the height of the Christmas trade. The lost profit is paid under the cyber policy. (€14,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 10:30: An imported power bank overheats in a customer's child's bedroom. Fire damage to furniture and carpet. (€9,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:15: A pallet of handmade ceramics arrives broken at a trade customer. The haulier's liability is limited by weight. (€3,200, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 16:00: A former employee sues for unpaid overtime, and the dispute goes to the labour court. (€4,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 22:40: In the warehouse, a returned e-scooter battery on charge catches fire. Stock and shelving burn. (€38,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €87,200

## 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-online-shop.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.