Guides
Broadcasting fees and business addresses: Do you have to pay for your virtual office?
Mail from the Beitragsservice at your business address? Read whether you have to pay or not.
Emily Schreiber
August 21, 2026
Quick Answer
For your online shop, you need a registered business address to list in your legal notice and on platforms like Amazon or Etsy. The legal notice requirement under Section 5 DDG (Digital Services Act, formerly TMG) requires a genuine address where you can be reached. A virtual business address satisfies this without making your private address public.
What you'll learn in this article
- Which address your online shop needs
- What the legal notice requirement demands from shops
- What Amazon, Etsy, and eBay require from sellers
- Why it's better to protect your private address
- Which solution fits e-commerce
Anyone selling online has to disclose their seller information, whether in their own shop or on a marketplace. For many sellers, that creates a dilemma: being credibly reachable without putting your home address online. A business address solves exactly that.
Which business address does your online shop need?
You need a registered address — a genuine address with a house number where mail and official deliveries can arrive. You list this address in your shop's legal notice and register it with the marketplaces where you sell.
A pure P.O. box generally isn't enough. A registered business address with genuine mail receipt, on the other hand, satisfies the requirement.
Legal notice requirements for online shops and marketplaces
Anyone selling online on a commercial basis must maintain a legal notice (Impressum). Since 2024, this requirement has been set out in Section 5 DDG, the Digital Services Act, which replaced the earlier TMG. Required details include the name, the registered address, and contact information.
This requirement applies not only to your own shop, but also to selling through platforms. A missing or incorrect legal notice can result in a formal warning (Abmahnung).
Amazon, Etsy, and eBay: what the platforms require
The major marketplaces require commercial sellers to provide complete seller identification with a registered address that's visible to buyers.
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Amazon
Displays seller information, including the address, publicly. It's not possible without a valid address.
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Etsy
Requires commercial sellers in Germany to provide complete legal notice details in their shop.
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eBay
Requires a legally compliant legal notice with a registered address for commercial sales.
Why it's better to protect your private address
If your home address is in your legal notice, it's visible to everyone: customers, competitors, and uninvited visitors too. This can lead to unwanted mail, returns showing up at your front door, or privacy concerns. In e-commerce especially, with lots of customer contact, this is a real issue.
Privacy: A business address separates private and business life. Your home address stays out of the public legal notice, while your shop remains legally and reliably reachable.
A real-world retail example
A real-world example
A seller runs a handmade jewelry business through Etsy and her own Shopify shop. As a small business owner (Kleinunternehmerin), she works from home but doesn't want her home address listed in every shop's legal notice. With a business address in Berlin from €35 a month, she satisfies the legal notice requirement, registers the same address with Etsy, and protects her privacy.
Sell with legal peace of mind. Protect your privacy.
A business address for legal notices and marketplaces, from €35 a month.
The right address for your shop with Teeberg
Teeberg offers a registered business address at Kollwitzstraße 76 in Berlin, which you can list in your legal notice and register with Amazon, Etsy, or eBay. Your mail is received and scanned daily.
Mailing Address
€35 / month
Business address with mail forwarding, ideal for small shops and independent retailers.
Virtual Office
€79 / month
Registered business address and daily scan service, suitable for the commercial register and legal notices.
* Prices exclude VAT, no guarantee, as of July 2026.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions about business addresses in e-commerce
Do I need a legal notice with an address for an online shop?+
Yes. Anyone selling online commercially must maintain a legal notice with a registered address under Section 5 DDG. This applies to your own shop and to marketplaces alike.
Can I avoid putting my private address in my shop's legal notice?+
Yes. With a registered business address, you list a business address in your legal notice instead of your home address, while remaining legally and reliably reachable.
What address does Amazon require from sellers?+
Amazon publicly displays seller information with a registered address. A business address can cover this requirement without your private address appearing.
Does the legal notice requirement also apply to Etsy and eBay?+
Yes. For commercial sellers, the legal notice requirement applies regardless of platform. On Etsy and eBay too, you must provide complete seller identification with an address.
Is a virtual business address allowed for e-commerce?+
Yes, as long as it's registered and mail is actually received there. You may then use it in your legal notice and with the platforms as your business address.
