Insurance for bol sellers: which risks do you need to cover?
Lars HurkmansCo-founder6 May 2026Temps de lecture 6 minutesAs a bol seller, under European law you're the producer yourself, so product liability is the biggest risk to cover: a single claim of a few hundred thousand euros can be the end for a sole proprietorship. Most consumer products are insurable as long as you have a valid CE certificate and test report per item; a few categories are excluded.
In our podcast, Paul Zincken explains how insurance works for bol sellers. Paul has been in the insurance world for 35 years and, together with ASR, set up an insurance offering specifically built for e-commerce and bol sellers. Below we've summarised his key insights. This is information to help you get started, not insurance advice; for your own situation, put the choices to an advisor.
Why does insurance matter specifically for a bol seller?
Because under European law you're the 'producer' yourself. If you sell a product on bol, in the eyes of the law you're the one placing it on the market, and that makes product liability your biggest risk. If a product of yours causes damage, for example fire, that damage can run up to a few hundred thousand euros.
For a sole proprietorship, such an amount can be the end, while for a large company like Philips it's relatively small. And such debts can follow you around for a long time. That's precisely the difference with many other costs: you can sell well for years and still get into trouble because of one product.
That insurance is part of this is one of the things new sellers most often underestimate, alongside their margin, their cash flow and compliance. Why that costs so many starters their business is covered in why many new bol sellers stop.
Why were insurers initially reluctant about e-commerce?
Because e-commerce was a new, unfamiliar world for insurers, without claims data to calculate on. Insurers are conservative by nature: without statistics on how often damage occurs and how big that damage is, they hold back.
That changed after a pilot with ASR. In the beginning every product was checked against its CE certificate and test report before being insured. When the claims figures from that period turned out favourably, most product types could then become insurable by default afterwards. What first had to be assessed per product became the standard route this way.
What is and isn't insurable by default?
Most consumer products, such as electronics and household items, are insurable by default, on one condition: you must have a valid CE certificate with the accompanying test report for every item. That requirement is literally stated as a condition on the policy. Arranging your CE certificate and test report is therefore not just something for bol itself, but also the key to your insurance; how that documentation works is covered in product compliance and CE marking on bol.
An exception applies to some product groups. Baby and children's products are checked in advance, because the injury risk is high there. And certain categories are excluded entirely, such as chemicals and electric bikes, because of the fire risk.
If your product is on the exclusion list, it isn't necessarily lost. If you provide a good test report and the insurer agrees, an excluded product can still be added to the policy.
Why do big brands insure themselves differently from you?
Big brands often cover their large risks through the reinsurance market, with a high excess. For a corporation, product damage of a few hundred thousand euros is small and manageable: the company pays the excess and the rest runs through the reinsurance policy.
For a sole proprietorship or small seller, that's different. There, the same damage can be existential. That difference is exactly why insurance built at the scale of an e-commerce entrepreneur can make sense for you, while it does nothing for a corporation.
How do you apply for such insurance?
You start with a no-obligation quote, which you request via the website or through the communities sellers are part of. A screening follows after that. That screening exists to keep out 'cowboys' and to keep the claims figures healthy: the better the group of insured parties, the better the terms stay sustainable for everyone.
Then you choose yourself which sections you cover. So you don't have to insure everything; you put together the cover that fits your situation. Legal expenses insurance, for example, is less useful for many e-commerce entrepreneurs, so that's a section you can skip.
What about your stock and the payout in case of damage?
You can include your stock in the insurance, and in the case of major damage, payouts genuinely happen. Paul gives a real-world example: when a fulfilment centre burned down, the insurer paid out properly, even slightly more than the insured amount, because they understood how e-commerce practice works and that stock is often spread across multiple locations. Treat that as an illustration from his practice, not a promise about how a specific claim will turn out.
A solution is being worked on for peak periods. Around Q4 you typically have much more stock than the rest of the year; a temporary top-up cover is in development for that, so you're not underinsured in those months.
Are product recalls covered?
Usually not yet by default. A recall, pulling a product back from the market, most insurers don't currently cover by default. It is possible through the reinsurance market, but then at high premiums. Work is underway on a standard recall cover tailored to e-commerce.
That this is becoming possible is due to scale. By bundling many sellers, atypical risks such as a recall become easier to insure: the risk is spread over a larger group, which lets an insurer turn it into a standard product.
What risks are added as your business grows?
As you scale up, your risk profile changes. If you move from a sole proprietorship to a general partnership or a limited company, risks come with it that you didn't have as a sole proprietorship. Think of director's liability and mutual liability between directors. Those are covers to look into at the moment you take that step, not before.
Insurance is therefore part of the broader set of things you master once you sell seriously on bol. We've bundled those in what you need to succeed on bol.
Summary: which risks do you cover as a bol seller?
| Risk | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Product liability | Under European law you count as the 'producer'; a single claim can be the end for a sole proprietorship. This is the biggest risk to cover. |
| Default cover | Most consumer products are insurable, as long as you have a valid CE certificate and test report per item (a condition on the policy). |
| Prior check | Baby and children's products are checked in advance because of the high injury risk. |
| Excluded categories | Chemicals and electric bikes (fire risk); sometimes still added to the policy with a good test report and the insurer's approval. |
| Stock | Can be included in the insurance; a temporary top-up cover for peak periods such as Q4 is in development. |
| Product recall | Not yet standard at most insurers; bundling sellers makes it easier to insure. |
| Growth to a general partnership or limited company | Extra risks such as director's liability and mutual liability between directors. |
Which sections make sense for you depends on what you sell and how big you are. Insurance is ultimately also a cost item you factor into your margin; which costs determine your profit on bol is covered in knowing your costs and margin. And once more: these are insights from our podcast with Paul Zincken, not insurance advice. Put your own situation to an advisor before taking out a policy.