Who I am, and why I do this

I was going to open a small crystal shop on Etsy. Today I'm a registered authorised representative for packaging in Germany. That was not the plan.

My name is Jennifer Rogalski-Koschel and I work from Berlin. Right now it's just me — every enquiry comes straight to me. Where it goes from here I don't know yet, and I'm deliberately keeping that open.

It started with a question I couldn't let go of

While setting the shop up, I ran into EPR, registration numbers and authorised representatives. My first reaction was honestly: why is everyone so worked up about this? So I started reading.

I went a lot deeper than I meant to.

What I found surprised me. I don't actually think these duties are a bad thing for small sellers. Quite the opposite. Having someone who watches the deadlines, reminds you when a report is due and then carries the responsibility for it — that can be a genuine relief.

The problem isn't the rule. It's the price.

When that support costs so much that a small handmade shop shrugs and says fine, then I just won't sell to Germany any more, something has gone wrong. That's the part I didn't want to accept.

The enquiries reaching me now come from small handmade brands and Etsy sellers in France, the Netherlands, Spain and elsewhere. I don't want those to be the ones who quietly drop out.

What I bring to it

I'm not new to running a business. I've been self-employed for more than ten years, working in marketing. Different field — but it taught me the two things this job actually runs on.

The first is what responsibility feels like when someone else's result depends on you. It's something you carry, not something you sign.

The second is that most problems have a solution if you keep looking. When something seems impossible my first thought is there has to be a way, not that's just how it is. That's the only reason this exists: everyone had been telling small sellers that the price was simply the price.

It also means I know the shops I work for. I've spent a decade around small businesses — and I was about to open one of my own.

What I actually take on

When you appoint me, your German packaging duties become mine. I hold them in my own name, and the liability that comes with them sits with me instead of with you.

That's the real product. Filling in forms is the easy part.

It's also a bigger risk than a service fee usually carries, which is why I read every application myself rather than automating the decision. And it's why I'm negotiating directly with German recycling operators, looking for arrangements that still work for someone sending twenty, fifty or a hundred parcels a year. That is not how this market is normally set up. The existing providers are built for companies with a compliance department, and many of them won't even name a price in public.

Where I think this goes

The further in I get, the bigger the question behind it becomes. Maybe small sellers in Europe don't need a separate expensive provider in every single country. Maybe what's missing is a connection between them and the various national systems — something that joins the pieces up and makes it simple again.

Germany is the beginning, not the destination. It's where I can take the duties on in full today, and where I intend to prove first that this works even at twenty parcels a year. The rest of Europe is on my list, and I'm working towards it.

I'll always tell you straight what is possible today and what isn't yet. But I'm not building this as a side project — I'm building it because small sellers in Europe need someone on their side.

What it turned into

I set out to sell crystals on Etsy. I now spend my days on how small businesses can keep selling inside Europe without being priced out by paperwork. It escalated.

And I've come to think the second thing might matter more than the shop I originally had in mind.

What that means for you: I'll look closely at your numbers and get the most out of them that can be got. The right tier, your actual volumes, no costs you don't need. And if it looks tight, I'll tell you exactly why and what would have to change to make it work — rather than simply turning you away.

Giving up on Germany is the last option, not the first.

German version of this page: /de/ueber-mich