Romanian e-commerce has one dominant player and a handful of specialised challengers – and one of the questions sellers ask most often, „is Amazon there?”, has a short answer: there is no local Amazon marketplace. Below is an honest comparison of the platforms an EU company can realistically sell on in Romania: who has the reach, what the entry barriers are, how commission models differ and who each platform actually makes sense for.
Table of contents
- The market map: who matters
- eMAG – entry point number one
- Trendyol – the challenger with a sharp profile
- Does Amazon operate in Romania?
- The rest: Altex, Fashion Days
- Comparison table
- Which platform to start with
- Frequently asked questions
The market map: who matters
Romania’s marketplace landscape is concentrated: eMAG controls the biggest share of online sales (online revenue of about USD 3.4 billion in 2025, per ECDB estimates), followed by specialised players – Altex in electronics, Fashion Days in fashion – and Trendyol, which is building its position with a broad market-entry campaign. We cover the market’s overall size and growth separately in our overview of the Romanian e-commerce market – here we focus on choosing a platform.
eMAG – entry point number one
eMAG operates in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and its marketplace accepts EU companies – a registered business and a VAT number are enough to apply. Three things make it the natural first choice:
- Reach – it is the country’s biggest shopping destination, with brand recognition no one else comes close to;
- Infrastructure – the Fulfilment by eMAG (FBE) programme takes local logistics off your plate, eMAG ADS buys you visibility from day one, and the Genius loyalty programme drives a meaningful share of demand;
- Predictability – campaign rules (Black Friday above all) are announced in advance, which lets you plan the season.
Commissions depend on the category and are calculated on the net amount – rather than studying rate cards, run your own case through our eMAG profitability calculator. The starting path is described step by step on our how to start on eMAG page.
Trendyol – the challenger with a sharp profile
Turkey’s Trendyol entered Romania with momentum: it has run local Black Friday campaigns since 2024, and in the 2025 edition more than 4,500 Romanian merchants took part, generating 47% of campaign sales (Trendyol data, 2025). The platform’s profile is distinct: fashion, home products and toys, heavily app-driven traffic, and marketing built on influencers.
Two things to know before you start. First, commission is calculated on the gross price – the same percentage rate costs you more margin than on eMAG; run the numbers in our Trendyol profitability calculator. Second, it is the younger platform on this market – reach is growing but does not yet match eMAG’s. We put the two head to head – including who starts earning faster on which – in a separate piece, Trendyol vs eMAG, and describe the starting path on our how to start on Trendyol page.
Does Amazon operate in Romania?
A straight answer, because the question keeps coming back: Amazon does not run a local marketplace in Romania. The amazon.ro domain redirects to Germany’s amazon.de, from which Romanians can order with delivery to Romania. Romanian shoppers therefore use Amazon cross-border – the site consistently ranks among the country’s most visited shopping destinations – but there is no local platform, no local listings and no local last-mile marketplace logistics.
For a seller this means a simple calculation: selling „to Romania via Amazon” is in practice selling from Amazon’s European platforms (mainly amazon.de) with cross-border shipping – without a Romanian-language listing, local currency pricing or cash on delivery, which are exactly the three things that drive conversion on this market. Amazon has reported that around 2,000 Romanian SMEs sell through its platforms (2025) – that is an export channel for Romanian companies, not an entry channel INTO Romania. If your target is the Romanian shopper, the road leads through eMAG and Trendyol.
The rest: Altex, Fashion Days
- Altex – Romania’s strongest electronics retailer, with a network of physical stores and an online platform. A reasonable second channel for electronics and home appliances, but both entry barrier and reach compare unfavourably with eMAG.
- Fashion Days – a fashion platform within the eMAG group, strong in sales campaigns and apparel brands. For fashion sellers it can be a complement, though it competes for the same budget as Trendyol.
- OLX and classifieds – lots of traffic, but a different sales model (listings, C2C) – we do not treat them as a marketplace channel for a company.
Comparison table
| Criterion | eMAG | Trendyol | Amazon | Altex / Fashion Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach in Romania | largest – market leader | growing, strong in-app | cross-border only (amazon.de) | large within its niche |
| Category profile | full spectrum | fashion, home, toys | full spectrum, not localised | electronics / fashion |
| Commission | on the net amount, per category | on the gross price | per Amazon EU rate card | negotiated individually |
| Local logistics | FBE + couriers + lockers | own fulfilment centre | none locally | own / mixed |
| Entry barrier for an EU company | low – company + VAT number | low, fast onboarding | medium (Amazon EU account) | higher, case by case |
| Best first fit | the default first channel | fashion / home / toys, first or second channel | exporting beyond Romania | niche complement |
Which platform to start with
Our practice across more than 200 seller accounts boils down to a simple rule: start with eMAG, and add Trendyol if you sell within its category profile – fashion, home products, toys. Spreading yourself across three platforms on day one multiplies listing and support costs, not sales. The exception: if your category is fast-rotating fashion, the order can flip – compare both scenarios in Trendyol vs eMAG. And if you are weighing Romania against other CEE marketplaces, our comparison of Allegro vs eMAG sets Poland’s biggest platform against Romania’s.
Frequently asked questions
Does Amazon have a marketplace in Romania?
No. Amazon.ro redirects to amazon.de – Romanians buy on Amazon cross-border, with no local platform. Selling to the Romanian shopper runs through eMAG and Trendyol.
What is the biggest marketplace in Romania?
eMAG – with online revenue estimated at about USD 3.4 billion in 2025 (ECDB), it is the clear leader and the natural first entry channel for EU companies.
How do eMAG and Trendyol commissions differ?
The key difference is the base: eMAG calculates commission on the net amount, Trendyol on the gross price. The same percentage rate therefore costs different margin – which is why we recommend running your product through our profitability calculators instead of comparing rate cards.
Should I launch on several platforms at once?
Usually not. Every platform means a separate listing, separate support and separate stock management. Do one channel well first (most often eMAG) and add the second once operations are stable – unless you sell within Trendyol’s profile, where both channels can make sense from the start.
Can any EU company sell on eMAG and Trendyol?
Yes – both platforms accept EU businesses. You need a registered company, a VAT number and company documents; we cover the formal side of selling (VAT, OSS, consumer law) in a separate guide to legal requirements.
Take the next step
Platform choice is a decision for data, not intuition: check your margins in the eMAG calculator and the Trendyol calculator, and check the competition in your category with an eMAG market analysis. If you want us to run the whole market entry – from account registration to campaigns – write to us.
