What are the differences between Bol and Amazon?

Bol.com vs Amazon: Why copy-paste strategies wreck your margin

You have a good product. Maybe even a bestseller on bol. Then the temptation is strong: “Just put the same title, bullets and images on Amazon and done.” But bol and Amazon are not two shop windows on the same high street. They are two completely different sales machines, with different costs, different ranking logic and different buying behaviour.

Copy-paste feels efficient, but often ends in three pain points: your listing becomes harder to find (lower ranking/CTR), your conversion drops (fewer orders, less momentum) and your margin evaporates (more advertising costs or price pressure to compensate). In this article you get an up-to-date, data-driven picture of the differences in market position, cost structure, logistics and above all: the mechanism behind findability.

In this article

• The hard numbers & Market share
• Cost structure: where your margin is really decided
• Findability and ranking: why the same listing doesn’t work
• Advertising: the invisible margin killer
• Logistics: LvB vs FBA
• The Big Comparison Table
• Conclusion

The hard numbers: why this is no longer an “extra channel”

Bol remains dominant in NL/BE with a scale you can’t ignore

Bol is still the big player in the Netherlands and Belgium. The platform states 13.8 million active customers, a range of 51 million items and tens of thousands of sales partners (see over.bol.com).

In terms of volume, bol is also in a mature phase: recent reports mention a trading volume of €6.3 billion “over the past year” (with growth compared with the year before), as reported by Twinkle.

Amazon keeps growing and investing to win sellers and logistics

Amazon is not “the biggest” in the Netherlands, but it is building up structurally. At the end of 2025 Amazon announced it would invest more than €1.4 billion in the Netherlands (2025 to 2027) to expand its activities (source: About Amazon).

What this means in practice for sellers: Amazon doesn’t just buy growth with marketing, but above all with infrastructure and a seller ecosystem. And that changes the rules of the game: more competition, more price pressure, but also more potential to scale.

Cost structure: where your margin is really decided

This is where many sellers go wrong: they only compare “commission %”, but forget the total cost of sale (advertising, fulfilment, subscription and return pressure).

Bol: No monthly fee, but variable costs per order

Bol works with commissions per category and a structure in which your costs per sale are made up of a percentage (depending on the category) and fixed contributions/agreements per item type. The exact commission make-up and category information can be found on bol’s own Partnerplatform (including via findability & product information and the financial section).

Amazon: Subscription + referral fee, and fee reductions in 2026

Amazon has (in NL) the Professional selling plan at €39 per month (excl. VAT) and also publishes referral fees per category (see sell.amazon.nl/prijsstelling). Important: Amazon announced one of the biggest fee reductions in Europe for 2026 (an average of €0.17 per unit), including reductions in certain categories and FBA adjustments (see fee update 2026).

Why that matters: when Amazon lowers fees, competition often shifts towards price (more sellers, thinner margins). Then content isn’t just “prettier”, but literally a way to defend your margin: higher CTR/conversion = fewer ads needed per sale.

A simple margin reality (to keep in mind)

• Bol is often “easier to start” (no monthly fee), but your variable costs per order can be substantial.
• Amazon becomes interesting at scale, but often calls for ads, review building and supply chain discipline earlier on.

Findability and ranking: why the same listing doesn’t work

This is the core of your copy-paste problem: on both platforms, “SEO” isn’t just text. It is the complete package of relevance + performance.

Bol: Findability is about match + performance

Bol describes that the order in search results is influenced by, among other things, how well your product information matches the search query and by performance (such as appeal/click and buying behaviour). See the explanation on the Partnerplatform.

In practice that means:

• Your title/attributes have to match perfectly how Dutch people search.
• Your image/price/delivery determines whether people click.
• Your conversion determines whether your position holds.

Bol Sponsored Products: Auction + the algorithm looks at click/buying behaviour

Bol’s own explanation of Sponsored Products makes clear that your campaigns sit in an advertising ecosystem in which bol looks at performance indicators such as click and buying behaviour, among other things, to decide what fits well (see how Sponsored Products works).

Copy-paste mistake #1: the same bullets and visuals can work perfectly well on bol, but get fewer clicks on Amazon (or the other way round). Then your performance signal drops and everything gets more expensive: your CPC/ACoS rises or your organic ranking falls.

Amazon: Performance-first: you win on conversion and momentum

Amazon’s ranking logic is often summarised as: relevance + performance/conversion + customer satisfaction. You can find a compact, non-agency summary of it here: rework.com: Amazon SEO & ranking.

In practice:

• “Well written” isn’t enough. You have to sell.
• Reviews/ratings, price, availability and conversion make your listing “strong”.

Copy-paste mistake #2: bol copy is often aimed at the Dutch market and driven by trust. Amazon copy more often has to be proof-driven (reviews, specs, comparisons, clear value).

Advertising: the invisible margin killer

Bol Ads = accelerator; Amazon Ads = often the entry ticket

Bol shows that Sponsored Products is intended to steer your visibility and to analyse/optimise performance (see the Partnerplatform: Sponsored Products explained).

On Amazon, in many categories, the rule is: without advertising your launch is slow, because without momentum (sales velocity) you reach the top less quickly. That doesn’t mean you “always have to spend a lot”, but it does mean you have to build your margin model with ads in mind.

An authority move for your article: add a short break-even thought:

• If your margin is €8 and your ad cost per sale is €4, you are still in the game.
• If your margin is €8 and your ad cost per sale is €7, your listing performance has to go up or your price has to go up (but that can hit your ranking again).

Logistics: LvB vs FBA (and what people forget)

LvB: Strong in the NL/BE flow, but stock is tied to the platform

LvB is set up to fulfil bol orders within the bol chain; that is great for convenience and reliability, but you don’t build “one stock for all channels” with it.

FBA + fee updates and scale

Amazon explicitly positions fee updates (incl. FBA) towards 2026; this directly affects your fulfilment costs per unit (see fee update 2026). That makes FBA not just logistics, but also a competitive weapon: speed/Prime expectation + international distribution.

Copy-paste mistake #3: your bol listing can do perfectly well with “delivered tomorrow” in NL/BE, but on Amazon “expectation management” is stricter (Prime, return standard, review behaviour). Your content has to carry that.

The Big Comparison: All the specifications side by side

To keep things clear, we have listed all the differences between the two giants below.

Conclusion: which choice suits you?

If you have a strong NL/BE fit, want quick wins and mainly sell your range locally: bol is often the logical base. If your product is scalable, your supply chain is tight and you are willing to steer on ads + reviews + performance: Amazon becomes a serious growth engine.

The best choice is rarely “bol or Amazon”. The best choice is: a platform-specific strategy. Copy-paste is efficient for your time and expensive for your margin. Want to do it properly? Take a look at our approach to Bol listings and Amazon listing design, or get in touch for a strategy that doesn’t just get found, but also sells.

Key decisions when choosing the right marketplace

What are the differences between Bol.com and Amazon?

Imagine this: you have a great product you want to sell online. But where do you start?Bol.com and Amazon are the two giants in the world of e-commerce, but each has its own characteristics and advantages. Let’s take a closer look at what these platforms have to offer and which differences may matter to you as a seller.

• What are the differences between Bol.com and Amazon?
• Comparing selling costs on Bol.com and Amazon
• Bol.com LvB vs Amazon FBA: what are the differences?
• What do Bol.com and Amazon offer sellers?
• Which platform suits you best?
• Conclusion

Comparing selling costs on Bol.com and Amazon

As a seller, you naturally want to know how much it costs you to sell your products. On Bol.com you don’t pay a monthly subscription fee. Instead, Bol.com charges a commission of between 4.8% and 25% per item sold, depending on what you sell. This can range from books to electronics and more.

On Amazon the situation is a little different. You pay a monthly subscription fee of €39.95, whether you sell anything or not. On top of that, Amazon charges a referral fee ranging from 7% to 45% per item sold, depending on the product category. This cost structure can be advantageous if you sell a lot, but it also means you have costs from the start.Source: Capterra online shopping survey 2020

Bol.com LvB vs Amazon FBA: what are the differences?

LvB (Logistics via Bol):

• Bol.com offers “Logistiek via Bol” (LvB), in which it takes care of the logistics process of storage, shipping to customers, returns handling and customer service.
• Ideal for sellers who want speed and convenience without managing stock themselves.
• Customers receive products in Bol.com packaging, which can build trust with the consumer.

FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon):

• Amazon has “Fulfillment by Amazon” (FBA), in which sellers send their products to Amazon for storage in its logistics centres.
• Amazon ships the products to customers, handles returns and provides customer service in the local language.
• Products sold through FBA often get priority in search results, which can lead to higher sales.

Comparison table Bol.com vs. Amazon

What do Bol.com and Amazon offer sellers?

Bol.com is known for its accessible customer service, which you can contact by phone, email or an online contact form. It supports both customers and sellers, which is handy for questions about your account or the selling process.

Amazon, on the other hand, focuses mainly on the end customer. Its seller support often runs through a Seller Central support page, where you can get in touch via forms. Getting direct answers can sometimes be more challenging, as Amazon is strongly focused on optimising the customer experience at the front end.

Which platform suits you best?

Conclusion

Bol.com offers an affordable start without monthly costs, but you do pay a commission of between 4.8% and 25% per item sold. Amazon charges a monthly amount of €39.95, but with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) you get extensive logistics help, fast shipping and customer service in several languages. For international expansion Amazon is often handy because of its presence in many European markets.

Which platform suits you best depends on what you sell, where your customers are and how much control you want. It can be smart to consider both options to increase your sales opportunities and widen your customer base. Good luck!

Melle Sikma
Helmsman
melle@brandmonks.nl