Bol.com

Is selling on bol still worth it in 2026?

Lars Hurkmans·Co-founder·18 March 2026·Reading time 13 minutes

Yes, selling on bol can still pay off in 2026, but no longer by simply putting a product online. The market is growing and purchase intent is high, but the competition has become bigger and more professional. You need data, a strategy and starting capital, and you count on months of building up instead of quick money.

People say bol is full: too much competition, so too late to start. That is only half true. In this roadmap we walk through the whole consideration, the way this article does: the market, the timelines, the margins and cash flow, logistics and customer service, administration and compliance, and the choice between white label and private label. So you can make a mature decision instead of a naive one.

Can you still start selling on bol in 2026?

Yes, there is still room, but the bar is higher than a few years ago. Even so, bol is still one of the best platforms to start an e-commerce business on, with around 14 million customers in the Netherlands and Belgium. Those customers do not come to scroll for inspiration, they come with purchase intent: they type in a product name and are ready to order. That is a fundamental difference from social media, where you first have to grab attention before anyone is in buying mode.

The market is also still growing. The number of sellers rose from around 24,000 to over 45,000 between 2020 and 2026, almost a doubling. More sellers means more competition, but also that the platform is big and mature enough to give all those sellers room.

Against those opportunities stand three sober disadvantages. Competition has increased considerably: where you could still score with a fairly basic product in 2019, in 2026 you really have to stand out. In addition, Chinese platforms such as Temu and AliExpress show extremely low prices in some categories, and consumers have got used to comparing. You feel that in your margins. Finally, bol itself is becoming more professional: stricter rules, more compliance requirements and higher barriers to being admitted to certain categories. For serious entrepreneurs that is actually good news, because it filters out the attic sellers, but it does mean you have to get things right from day one.

The core: there is still room, especially in niches where you build expertise and can become a brand. So the question is not so much whether it is still possible, but whether you are willing to follow the professional approach. If you first want to know exactly what that involves, read starting to sell on bol: what do you need.

How long does it take before you make your first sale on bol?

Count on a range of 1 to 6 months until your first sale, depending on your product choice, your preparation, your budget and your learning curve. Online you read success stories of people who go to tens of thousands of euros in revenue within three months. What you almost never see alongside that is that those sellers often work 60 hours a week, had a high starting budget or found an exceptional hit of a product.

When you see results depends mainly on how much time you put in. If you start with 10 hours a week, it logically takes longer than with 40 hours a week. The first six months are about building up. More important than the number of hours are the right hours: product research with data and optimising your listings, instead of one hopefully working hunch. So it takes effort and time, and that is fine. That is exactly what filters out the people who want quick money without work, and it leaves more room for those who take it seriously.

What margin and ROI can you expect on bol?

In the worked example in this article, a €30 product leaves you roughly €12, a margin of about 40%. The breakdown looks like this:

Where it gets interesting is when you link that profit to your growth rate. After a sale, your €9 purchase price comes back to you, plus roughly €12 profit, together about €21. With that you can buy roughly two new products at €9. That creates a snowball effect: your stock grows from your own sales. With a much thinner margin, every sale only finances a small part of your next purchase, and your growth is a lot slower.

Note: this is a worked example, not a promise. The margin differs per product and category, and items such as returns and write-offs can turn out higher than in this example. Which costs you need to include before calculating a margin, we have worked out in profitability on bol: which costs you need to include.

Why is cash flow often the biggest obstacle on bol?

Because you pay your supplier in full up front, while bol only pays you out once, at most twice a month. In between is a gap of weeks to sometimes months. Your product is produced, goes into transport, arrives in the Netherlands, and only then do you start selling. If you put €5,000 into your first stock, for example, you have to wait until that stock is sold and bol has paid out before you can fully restock. Without a buffer you get stuck here.

The logical follow-up question is: when can you pay yourself a salary? In practice, most starters reinvest almost everything in new stock and growth for the first 6 to 12 months. For bigger sellers that is sometimes 1 to 2 years or longer. Only once you have built up a buffer, usually around three months of fixed costs plus a full stock cycle, can you structurally take money for yourself. If you do bol alongside a full-time job, take little out, certainly in the beginning: leave the profit in your business, build a buffer and invest in more stock. We deliberately do not name an amount as a "realistic income"; that depends entirely on your product, your margins and your volume, and we make no promises about that.

How much time and starting capital do you need?

Count on at least 10 to 20 hours a week if you take it seriously, and on starting capital that depends on your ambition. Those hours do not only go into putting products online. You are busy with product research, approaching suppliers, assessing samples, building listings, customer service, returns, stock management and keeping track of your numbers.

In terms of starting capital, we roughly see two levels:

• Cautious testing: roughly €1,500 to €2,000. That means small quantities, little margin to absorb mistakes and a relatively long build-up.
• Serious start: roughly €5,000 to €10,000. A large part goes straight into products. Add costs for professional packaging, trademark registration with the BOIP, certifications and a buffer for your cash flow. Add it all up and you quickly head towards €10,000 before you have sold your first product at all.

These amounts are a guideline, not a hard limit; they differ per category and product choice.

How do you organise logistics and customer service on bol?

You choose between shipping yourself from home or a fulfilment centre, and you keep your service score high, because it partly determines your visibility. If you ship yourself, you have stock on the shelf and have to pick, pack, label and get orders to the carrier on time. If you structurally fail to do that, your performance score drops and with it your visibility on bol. A fulfilment centre takes over storage, shipping and returns. That costs more per shipment, but you buy time and reliability with it. Which option fits best depends on your order volume and your margins.

Customer service seems like a side issue at first glance, but 5 to 10% of your orders lead to a question, complaint or return. At 20 orders a day, that is one to two contact moments every day; at 100 orders it rises to 5 to 10 a day. Returns also cost real money: some products, such as hygiene items, damaged packaging or opened items, cannot be sold again afterwards. Factor that loss into your margin in advance.

In addition, bol assesses sellers on a number of service standards: delivery time, cancellation rate, return rate, customer satisfaction, product availability, how complete and correct your product information is, and how quickly you respond to customer questions. If you structurally score badly on those, you run the risk of your seller account being closed.

What do you arrange before your first sale (KVK, VAT, account)?

Before you sell a single product, you register with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), apply for a VAT number and then a bol seller account. For most starters, a sole proprietorship is the logical legal form: simple, cheap and quickly arranged. The downside is that you are personally liable for business debts. If you grow bigger or run more risk, a private limited company (bv) can become more interesting.

With your KVK registration you receive a VAT number. You use it to pay VAT on your sales, and you may reclaim VAT on your purchases and costs. If you also sell to consumers in Belgium and other EU countries, the OSS scheme (one-stop shop) is important: it lets you process the VAT for several countries in one return, instead of registering separately everywhere.

With your KVK number you then apply for a seller account. Where that used to take a few days, it can now take up to roughly 10 weeks before your store is allowed online. New sellers then get a growth start period: less visibility for the first 90 days, until you have shown that you deliver reliably and serve your customers well. So do not expect to be fully in the shop window straight away. A separate business bank account is not mandatory for a sole proprietorship, but it is smart: it keeps private and business separate and makes your bookkeeping clearer.

Which compliance requirements apply in 2026?

Count on CE marking, the GPSR rules on product safety and the REACH regulation for chemical substances. Where almost nobody talked about compliance in 2019, in 2026 it is one of the most important topics. If you import products from outside the EU, the law regards you as the manufacturer. That means you are fully liable for the product.

That is why you reserve budget for test reports, documentation and possibly a compliance partner. Count on roughly €500 to €800 per product if you want to do it properly. That sounds like a lot, until you consider that a recall or damage claim can easily run towards a hundred thousand euros.

How do you choose a profitable product to sell on bol?

Choose based on data, not on gut feeling, and start with market research. The biggest mistake beginners make is choosing a product because they like it themselves, because an acquaintance is enthusiastic or because they read somewhere that it is supposed to be a hot product. That is gambling with your capital.

Good market research first answers the demand side: how many people search for this product on bol, how many competitors already offer it and at what prices, and are there clear seasonal peaks or does it sell steadily all year round. Then you calculate the profitability: a realistic purchase price, shipping and fulfilment costs, bol's commission, packaging, compliance and average returns. Only if you still have between 20 and 40% margin left after all those items does it become interesting. From that research you ultimately want to keep 3 to 5 serious product candidates: products with demonstrable demand, competition that is not completely saturated, healthy margins, and suppliers that meet your requirements. The five steps to get there, we have worked out in market research on bol: from first idea to purchasing decision.

We have built tools for this, including a product database with filters on search volume, competition and margin and a keyword guide for your keyword research. But even without those tools the same principle applies: base your decision on data, not on gut feeling.

White label or private label: what do you choose?

White label is reselling generic products, private label is building your own brand. The difference determines how quickly you start, how much control you have and how thick your margin is.

With white label you resell generic products from a supplier directly, without any changes. The advantage is that you can start quickly: no brand to build and often less compliance risk. The flip side is a constant price war with thin margins, because several sellers can sit on the same listing. You have little control over the content, and if another seller on that listing delivers poor service, it reflects on the product.

With private label you create your own brand. You register the brand name, develop or adapt a product, arrange your own packaging and branding, and are the only seller under that EAN. That gives full control over the listing, the price and the brand experience, often a higher margin, and you build something that can be sold in the longer term. On the other hand, you need more starting capital, spend more time on development, sourcing and compliance, and start more slowly. Nobody knows your brand yet, so you have to build the first reviews, sales and trust yourself.

If you have a limited budget and mainly want to gain experience, white label lets you learn the game. Do not expect to build something lasting with it, because that market is saturated. If you have more capital, more staying power and the ambition to build a brand, private label is more interesting. Many sellers start with white label and then move on to private label once they have more experience and cash flow. Because the market continues to saturate in 2026 and standing out is all but essential, it pays to consider starting with private label straight away.

How do you launch a private label product on bol?

Protect your brand first, then work with a list of requirements towards your suppliers, and finally invest in a strong listing and a well-thought-out launch. The first step is usually a trademark registration with the BOIP, so your brand name is legally protected in the Benelux. Once your trademark is registered with the BOIP, bol protects you against so-called listing hijackers. That process costs a few hundred euros and usually takes 2 to 4 months. Without that registration anyone can hijack your brand name; we explain it in BOIP trademark registration: why and when.

Many private label products come from China. Suppliers often say everything is in order, while in practice that is not always true. So work with a list of requirements, approach several suppliers, order samples from the best option and have them tested where necessary before you place a large order. Never order a container full of products without having had a single sample properly inspected.

Finally, everything stands or falls with your listing, because you are the only one under your brand. Think of 6 to 8 strong product photos, a well-structured title and an extensive description that convinces both on substance and in the right tone. Budget may go towards that, because the difference between a mediocre and a strong listing is the difference between conversions or none. The same applies to the launch: in the first 30 days you build algorithm signals with sales, reviews and good performance, often with a sharp starting price and some ad budget to buy visibility. Count on a few hundred euros of ad budget in that first phase. Once you have enough reviews and sales history, you can raise your price towards your desired margin.

Summary: the roadmap in brief

The figures below are indicative and come from this article; they differ per product, category and approach.

In short:

• The market is still growing, with plenty of purchase intent. The room is mainly in niches and in your own brand.
• The difference from before is that putting a product online is no longer enough. You need data, a strategy and a buffer.
• Cash flow is the biggest obstacle: count on months of reinvesting before you pay yourself.
• If you see this as a business, have starting capital of roughly €3,000 to €5,000 and are willing to approach it professionally, there is room. If you are mainly looking for quick money without much work, this is probably not the route, and that is fine to establish too.

Read more:

• Starting to sell on bol: what do you need?
• Market research on bol: from first idea to purchasing decision
• Profitability on bol: which costs you need to include