Vitaliy Kolomiets is an experienced lawyer specializing in assisting with obtaining residence permits and residence cards in Poland. He has in-depth knowledge of Polish law and many years of experience in migration matters. He has over 5 years of experience.
How to Open an Online Store in Poland?
With the move to Poland, many people try to find their niche for earning money. But without a good knowledge of Polish, it is difficult to find well-paid work.
We will tell you how to open an online store in Poland, and perhaps you will choose this type of business for yourself, as it can become successful due to the country's stable economy and the growing popularity of e-commerce.
Advantages of Online Business in Poland
Low operating costs. Running an online business allows you to reduce the costs of renting premises, utilities, and other operating expenses.
- Access to a larger market. The internet allows you to reach a wider audience without being limited by geographic location. This is important for online stores.
- Flexibility. An online business allows you to work from anywhere and at any time, which is convenient for small business owners and freelancers.
- Process automation. Many business processes can be automated with online tools, reducing the time and effort needed to complete them.
- Low capital requirement to start. Opening an online store in Poland is often easier and cheaper than a traditional business, as it requires fewer initial investments, making it accessible to a larger number of people.
- Variety of promotion channels. The internet offers many opportunities for marketing and advertising, such as social networks, search engine optimization (SEO), contextual advertising, and email marketing.
- Quick adaptation to market changes. An online business allows you to quickly respond to changes in demand and trends, giving an advantage over traditional business models.
- Analytics and monitoring. The internet provides many tools for analyzing customer behavior and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, allowing you to quickly make necessary adjustments.
These advantages make online business an attractive choice for many entrepreneurs in Poland and contribute to the development of the country's digital economy.
What Needs to Be Prepared to Open an Online Store in Poland?
Before opening any business, it is necessary to understand the goals, roles, and costs. In the case of opening an online store, you also need to understand what product you will sell. Next, we will describe it in more detail.
Product selection. The necessity for permits, licenses, certificates, the form of ownership, and the technical specification for creating the website will depend on the product, its quantity, and assortment. Therefore, to start – choose a product.
Business Plan
Write down the goals, costs, and action plan. If necessary, seek help from consultants – they will tell you in detail, write down, and provide assistance in opening an online store in Poland.
Creating Your Website
Think about content, filling, usability, choose a domain name, and buy hosting. The main parameters that need to be taken into account are functionality and design. Quality content is also necessary for the website – photos of products, their descriptions.
Choosing a Business Form
Depending on the product and the anticipated turnover, the form of business will be clear – sole proprietorship or limited liability company. It is possible that at first, the online store will not need to be registered at all. But you need to correctly calculate income and necessary taxes. For this, you can use the tax consultation service by ordering it on our marketplace “Consultant”. It is better to consult an experienced specialist once to avoid problems in the form of fines.
Registration and Opening a Bank Account
Another important step in opening an online store in Poland. When registering, it is necessary to correctly choose the NACE code and then find a bank where it will be profitable to open an account. Here, lawyers from the “Consultant” marketplace will come to the rescue.
We also recommend immediately choosing a payment system popular among Polish users, such as PayU, Przelewy24, Blik.
Taxation and Bank Accounts for an Online Store in Poland
Choosing a bank should be taken seriously. Account service conditions can vary greatly between institutions, and it is better to clarify the terms listed on the bank's website on the spot. When choosing a bank, pay attention to account maintenance fees, commissions for international transfers, the availability of online banking, and mobile applications.
There are business accounts necessary for running a business and multi-currency accounts needed for working with international clients.
To open an account, you need the company's founding documents (KRS for LLC, entry in CEIDG for sole proprietorship), and NIP (tax identification number). You can read more about opening an account in Poland for businesses here.
The taxation of an online store in Poland depends on the form of ownership of the business.
If a sole proprietorship (Jednoosobowa Działalność Gospodarcza) is registered, personal income tax can be calculated at different rates depending on the income: 17% and 32% (for income above a certain threshold) or a fixed rate of 19% (under the simplified taxation system). If you have registered an LLC (Spółka z o.o.), the company's profit tax will be applied at a rate of 19%.
The standard VAT rate in Poland is 23%. For some categories of goods and services, reduced rates apply: 8%, 5%, and 0%. Companies with an annual turnover of less than 200,000 PLN may be exempt from VAT.
The corporate income tax rate is 19%, but for small businesses (with an annual income of up to 12 million EUR), a reduced rate of 9% applies.
Social security contributions (ZUS) are mandatory for sole proprietors and constitute a fixed amount depending on the minimum wage. In the case of LLCs, the company pays social contributions for its employees.
We recommend hiring an experienced accountant when opening an online store in Poland, as they will be able to correctly calculate all taxes and timely submit tax and financial reports. You can choose a specialist on the “Consultant” marketplace.
Estimated Costs of Opening an Online Store in Poland
The estimated costs of opening an online store vary depending on the size of the store itself. A small store will cost from 10,000 PLN.
Main costs when opening an online store:
- Registration fee for an LLC – about 600 PLN, sole proprietorship can be registered for free;
- Domain registration from 50 to 150 PLN per year;
- Hosting can cost from 200 to 1,000 PLN per year, depending on the chosen provider and tariff plan;
- Website development from 5,000 PLN or using a ready-made platform (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce), subscription costs start from 100 PLN per month;
- Design of the online store website can cost from 2,000 to 10,000 PLN, and creating content (photos, product descriptions) can cost from 1,000 to 5,000 PLN depending on the volume;
- Payment systems. Transaction fees in payment systems such as PayU, Przelewy24 charge fees for processing payments (usually from 1% to 3% of the transaction amount);
- Costs for hired staff;
- Logistics – depends on courier services. If there is a need to store goods in a warehouse, it can cost from 1,000 PLN per month;
- Costs for licenses or permits if required.
Why Contact a Professional Lawyer to Open an Online Store in Poland?
Opening any business abroad requires knowledge of local laws. To open an online store, you will need to solve many tasks, such as creating a website, filling it, promotion, and integrating payment systems. To avoid wasting time and money and to prevent fines, we recommend contacting specialists who can assist in opening an online store by taking on the legal and accounting support of your business. On the “Consultant” marketplace, you can choose experienced specialists.
