Start your own brand on bol: guide (2026)

Short answer: You start your own brand on bol in nine steps: choose a product based on data, find a supplier, register your brand name, get EAN codes, arrange CE and product safety, create packaging and a listing, automate your pricing and protect your product page. Expect a few hundred euros in fixed costs before your first purchase order.

Why your own brand on bol?

If you resell a well-known brand, you compete with other sellers on the same product page for the buy box, usually on price. With your own brand you are the only seller of your product. The buy box is yours, you decide the content and the price, and you build up reviews that stay with your product. That is why most sellers who use Rylee sell their own brand.

The downside: legally you are the manufacturer, you buy stock up front and you have to build visibility yourself. The step-by-step plan below keeps those risks small.

Own brand, private label or reselling?

Read more about the difference in private label on bol.

Starting your own brand in 9 steps

1. Choose a product based on data

Look for a product with proven demand, limited competition and room for at least 25% net margin after all costs. Look at competitors' sales, search volume and reviews. In the Rylee product database you filter on these criteria; competitors' reviews show what your product needs to do better.

2. Find a supplier and order samples

Request samples from several suppliers and compare quality, delivery time and minimum order quantity. Also request the test reports and documents straight away (see step 5). Start with a small first order.

3. Choose and register your brand name

Choose a name that describes nothing, check that it is available and register it before launch. For bol you need protection in the Netherlands and Belgium: a Benelux trademark costs €244 for one class, an EU trademark €850. Everything about costs, classes and steps: register a trademark.

4. Get EAN codes

Every product and every variant gets its own GS1 code in your company name. Read how to get an EAN code.

5. Arrange CE and product safety

With your own brand on the product, you are the manufacturer. Check whether CE marking is mandatory and make sure the GPSR details are on the product and packaging, with warnings in Dutch. Use the CE and quality marks checklist before you place your order.

6. Design your packaging and branding

Your packaging must show your brand, the barcode, the mandatory safety information and, where applicable, the CE marking. Recognisable packaging also helps with reviews and repeat customers. Rylee works with specialists in packaging design and branding.

7. Create a listing that gets found and sells

As the first seller you create the product page yourself, in Dutch. Put the most important keywords first in the title, fill in all specifications and provide a complete set of images. With the Rylee AI Listing Designer you create seven listing images from your product photos according to bol's requirements.

8. Automate your pricing

With your own brand you always have the buy box, but your price still matters. Raise your price when stock runs low so you do not sell out and keep your ranking. Keep a fixed price gap to the comparable well-known brand. The own-brand repricer does this automatically based on stock and sales.

9. Launch and protect your product page

New products have hardly any organic visibility at first. With Sponsored Products you build up sales and reviews; read how to advertise on bol. If another seller later joins your product page, Rylee alerts you immediately, so you can act with your trademark registration.

What does it cost to start your own brand?

Trademark and EAN amounts: official BOIP, EUIPO and GS1 Netherlands fees, indicative as of October 2026. GS1 prices differ per country.

Common mistakes

1. Choosing a product on gut feeling instead of sales and search data.

2. Registering the brand only after launch.

3. Using cheap EAN codes from a reseller.

4. Relying on the supplier's "CE certificate".

5. Placing a first order that is too large, tying up capital in stock.

6. Selling out in the first months and losing the ranking you built up.

Ready to start? Try Rylee free for 14 days and find your first product in the product database.

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FAQ (en) — in het FAQ-veld onder het artikel; oude vragen eerst verwijderen

FAQ-titel: Frequently asked questions about starting your own brand

1. What does it cost to start your own brand?

The fixed costs are limited: €244 for a Benelux trademark registration (or €850 for an EU trademark) and around €61 per year for 10 EAN codes. The biggest costs are samples, testing, packaging and above all your first purchase order. These vary greatly by product.

2. Do I need my own brand to sell on bol?

No. You can also resell existing products from well-known brands. With your own brand, however, you are the only seller on your product page, so you do not have to compete on price for the buy box.

3. What is the difference between own brand and private label?

With private label you put your brand on an existing factory product. With your own brand in the broader sense you also design or adapt the product yourself. In both cases you are legally the manufacturer.

4. How long does it take to launch your own brand?

Expect two to four months from choosing a product to launch. Trademark registration takes about three months at BOIP and can run in parallel with sourcing and production.

5. Who is responsible for the CE marking of my own brand?

You are. Anyone who places a product on the European market under their own name or brand counts as the manufacturer, even if the product was made abroad.

6. How do I protect my product page against other sellers?

Register your brand, use GS1 codes in your own company name and make sure you are alerted immediately when another seller joins. You can then report an infringement to bol with your registration number.