If you run a store or webshop and sell physical products, bol.com is one of the fastest ways to expand your reach. As the largest e-commerce platform in the Netherlands and Belgium, it gives you instant visibility, trusted brand association, and access to millions of active shoppers. But success doesn’t come from simply uploading your products — it requires the right setup, strategy, content, logistics, and optimization.
In this guide, we walk you through everything you need to know to become successful as a bol.com partner seller:
- What bol.com is and why it's valuable
- Key requirements and service standards
- How logistics work — including “Logistics via bol.com”
- How to optimize your content, listings, and visibility
- How search trends and advertising fuel growth
- How integrators help you automate
- What selling on bol.com costs
By the end, you’ll know exactly what you need to set up, improve, and scale.
What is bol.com?
Bol.com launched in 1999 as a small online bookstore. Today, it has more than 12.5 million active customers in the Netherlands and Belgium and has become a full online department store.
What began with 140,000 Dutch books is now an assortment of 33+ million products across 20+ categories, from electronics to toys, home & garden, baby products, DIY, sports, personal care, and more.
External sellers on bol.com
Since 2011, bol.com has opened its platform to external sellers. As a partner seller, you offer your products through the bol.com ecosystem. Customers get more choice, you increase your reach, and bol.com earns a commission per sale, a win for everyone.
Why Sell on bol.com?
Selling through bol.com brings several advantages:
- Huge reach: more than 10 million customers, ~3 million daily visitors.
- No upfront costs — you only pay when you sell.
- Advertising options to boost visibility.
- System integrations to automate listings, stock, and orders.
- Dedicated partner support through the bol.com partner platform.
- Full logistics outsourcing through Logistics via bol.com (LvB).
In short: bol.com gives you immediate access to a massive customer base without the cost of building that reach yourself.
Getting started on bol.com
The essential checklist
Before you can start selling, you must meet the following conditions:
- You’re registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) or Belgian Handelsregister.
- You have a Dutch or Belgian VAT number.
- Your products fit one of bol.com’s existing categories.
- Your products have a GS1 code (EAN) or ISBN.
- Customers can return your products for free within 30 days.
- You meet all required service standards, including customer response times and delivery windows.
How to create a seller account: 4 steps
- Create your account
Use an existing bol.com account or create a new one. - Check and confirm your details
Complete all company information and accept the terms and conditions. - Verify your registration
Click the email validation link and fill in additional information (bank account, address, etc.). - Account verification by post
You’ll receive a letter with a verification code within three working days.
Once entered, you can start adding products.
Selling from abroad?
If your company is located outside NL or BE, you still need:
- a Dutch or Belgian Chamber of Commerce registration
- a Dutch or Belgian VAT number
Foreign entities without a physical presence can register if they operate commercially within the Netherlands.
Barcodes: GS1, EAN, ISBN
Just like offline retail, every product needs a unique barcode.
For bol.com listings:
- Books → ISBN
- All other products → GS1/EAN codes
If you don’t have barcodes yet, you must request them from GS1 Netherlands.
Bol.com service standards
To maintain consistent customer experience, bol.com requires every seller to meet strict service metrics:
- Deliver products within max. 1–8 days.
- No more than 2% cancellations.
- Respond to customer questions within 24 hours (in Dutch).
- At least 98% on-time deliveries.
- Every shipment must have track & trace.
- Process cancellation requests within 24 hours.
- Process returns within 24 hours of receipt.
- Be reachable by phone on working days between 09:00–17:00.
The better you perform, the higher your visibility in search results. Poor performance leads to warnings — and eventually removal from the platform.
Logistics via bol.com (LvB)
You can handle logistics yourself, or outsource the entire process through Logistics via bol.com.
Benefits of LvB:
- Your products are stored in bol.com’s warehouse.
- Bol.com handles picking, packing, and shipping.
- Returns are processed automatically.
- Customers get 24/7 service from bol.com’s support team.
- You automatically meet all service standards.
- Faster delivery times (often next day, sometimes same day).
- Improved ranking & conversion thanks to “LvB-eligible” visibility.
- You save time and can focus on assortment, buying, and brand growth.
LvB is especially useful if you want to scale without building complex operations.
Growing Sales on bol.com: optimization tips
With 20,000+ external sellers, competition is real. Growth depends on how well you optimize your catalogue.
Key principles:
- Write strong product descriptions.
- Improve your product information and attributes.
- Use high-quality product images.
- Keep your feed updated.
- Maintain excellent service metrics.
- Use advertising when relevant.
Strengthen your product information
High-quality product information increases both findability and conversion. Here's how to optimize:
- Choose a clear title
Mention the brand, model or type, and product category. Separate elements with a hyphen.- maximum 70 characters
- no full uppercase usage
- no unnecessary synonyms or adjectives
- Fill in product specifications completely
All relevant attributes help both the customer and the algorithm. - Write a clear, persuasive description
Explain what the product does, what the benefit is, and which details matter. This reduces returns and increases conversion. - Check the quality score
In your seller account, each item has a quality score from “weak” to “very strong.” The higher the score, the better your visibility. Aim for at least “strong.” - Ensure unique descriptions
Do not copy text 1-to-1 from your own website. Unique content helps you rank better in both Google and bol.com.
Growing sales: using search trends
Bol.com’s Search Trends tool shows:
- how often customers search for certain keywords
- how search volumes shift over time
You can use these insights to:
- improve your titles and product descriptions
- respond to seasonal demand
- validate potential products, colors, or variations
Example:
Do people search more for “dishwasher”, “afwasmachine”, or “afwasautomaat”?
Search Trends gives you the answer.
Advertising on bol.com
Paid visibility can significantly boost sales. Bol.com offers several advertising formats:
1. Display Advertising
Digital banners on bol.com or external websites/apps. Ideal for awareness.
2. Sponsored Products
Ads that appear in search results and on product pages.
You:
- choose keywords or categories
- set a budget
- pay only per click
This is the most effective way to gain visibility on high-intent searches.
3. Online Magazines
Editorial content published by bol.com, combined with social campaigns.
Useful for branding and inspiration-led categories.
4. Bulk Events & Sinterklaas
Bol.com runs major campaign periods with special media packages — sometimes including TV spots.
5. Social Advertising
Touch advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, often combined with retargeting.
Automating via bol.com: integrators
If you want to scale efficiently, automation is essential.
Integrators connect your internal systems (PIM, ERP, WMS, webshop) to bol.com and other marketplaces.
With an integrator you manage:
- stock
- orders & returns
- pricing
- catalogue data
- reporting
This reduces manual work and prevents errors.
If you lack technical experience, specialists can support you with:
- selecting the right integrator
- connecting your systems
- onboarding & mapping your catalogue
What Does Selling on bol.com Cost?
Selling on bol.com is accessible, but you must understand your margins.
Account costs
A seller account is free. There are no monthly fees.
Sales commission
You pay:
- a fixed fee per product, plus
- a percentage of the sales price
Typical fees:
- fixed fee: €0.83
- products < €20 → €0.40
- products < €10 → €0.20
- variable commission: 12.4% for many categories (excl. VAT)
Some categories differ.
Example calculation
Product price: €25
Fees:
- Fixed commission: €0.83
- Variable commission: 12.4% of €25 = €3.10
Total fees: €3.93
From the €25, you keep €21.07 — before subtracting VAT, shipping, product cost, marketing, and overhead.
This is why margin calculation is essential.
Optional costs
- Logistics via bol.com
- Advertising campaigns
These can increase conversions, but must fit your margin model.
Need Help Selling on bol.com?
If you want to grow on bol.com but lack time, expertise, or capacity, we can support you with:
- onboarding and automation via integrators
- improving product titles and descriptions
- setting up and optimizing Sponsored Products and display campaigns
Want help? I can now translate this into a shorter web-ready version, break it into CMS blocks, or produce the English or Dutch version for Amazon, Zalando, Bol, Douglas, or About You.
