1. Sellers already meeting the threshold: no immediate action required.
If your current smartphone shipments to Germany already achieve the required 85% 2-day compliance, no immediate changes are required.
What this means for you
- You can continue with your current carrier and service setup
- Your performance will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis
- You remain free to choose your carrier setup as long as the threshold continues to be met
Action required
- No immediate action required
- Continue monitoring your weekly performance in the Delivery Insights Dashboard
2. Sellers not meeting the threshold: improve current performance or switch to Express by May 1st.
If your current performance for smartphone shipments to Germany is below the required threshold, you have 4 weeks to improve your setup or transition to a compliant shipping solution.
From May 1st, 2026, the new shipping requirements will be enforced.
Action required and how you can improve
a. You currently ship smartphones to DE with DHL Germany
If your shipments are mainly handled via DHL Germany (non-express), the required improvements can typically be achieved within your current setup.
What you should review
-
Order cut-off times, internal handling, and dispatch timing
to maximise same-day handover to the carrier -
Booked DHL product or service level (DHL Paket with best speed offering)
to improve 2-day delivery performance -
Other DHL performance levers
in coordination with your DHL contact person
In case you need support in optimizing your set-up, feel free to reach out to shipping@refurbed.com.
b. You currently do not use DHL Germany or an express carrier
If your current setup does not include DHL Germany or an express carrier, it is not sufficient to support the required delivery promise.
You should transition to an express-capable setup within the 4-week period.
In case you need support in changing to an express carrier, feel free to reach out to shipping@refurbed.com.
c. You currently use express shipping but are below the threshold
If you are already using express shipping for all shipments but remain below threshold, the improvement potential lies in how your setup is operated.
What you should review
-
Order cut-off times, internal handling, and dispatch timing
to maximise same-day handover to the carrier -
Carrier performance in your specific setup
in coordination with your carrier’s contact person
If you’re already using DHL Express for all your shipments, please reach out to shipping@refurbed.com for further support.
If you’re using another express carrier and cannot meet the required performance after the improvement period, a switch to DHL Express will be required.
d. You already meet the threshold with express, but still use standard shipping
If your express shipments already meet the 85% threshold, but your overall performance is below target due to continued use of standard shipping, your express setup is already sufficient.
You should expand express usage to your full relevant volume as of May 1st, 2026 at the latest.
Deadline and consequence
- Improvement period runs until May 1st, 2026
- If you do not meet the threshold in the week before May 1st**, 2026**, DHL Express will become mandatory for your smartphone shipments to Germany from May 1st, 2026 onwards
- Penalizations will be applied from May onwards in cases of non-compliance.
Your options if DHL Express becomes mandatory
- Use your own DHL Express contract, or
- Join the refurbed shipping agreement with DHL Express
When joining the refurbed shipping agreement
To support the transition, refurbed is offering:
- a €4.50 subsidy on international shipments
- a €2.50 subsidy on domestic shipments
These subsidies are:
- available from May 1st until December 31st, 2026
- valid for smartphones shipped to DE customers only
- being applied as a deduction to our current DHL Express rate card