Best Parcel Delivery Companies in Germany for eCommerce (2026)

Germany’s parcel delivery market is one of Europe’s largest and most competitive, driven by an eCommerce goods market worth €83.1 billion in 2025. Choosing the right parcel delivery company in Germany decides how fast your customers get their orders, what you pay per parcel and how many deliveries fail. This guide compares the main delivery companies in Germany for eCommerce, DHL, Hermes, DPD, GLS, UPS and Amazon Logistics, using the latest 2025–2026 data, and explains which German parcel service fits which shop and how to ship internationally from Germany.

Jump to: Market · Market share · Carriers at a glance · Best for… · DHL · Hermes · DPD · GLS · UPS · International shipping · FAQ

Parcel delivery in Germany in 2026: the market

Germany is Europe’s largest parcel market. According to the KEP-Studie 2026 of the German parcel association BPEX, courier, express and parcel companies delivered 4.37 billion shipments in 2025, 1.8% more than in 2024, with revenue of about €28.4 billion. After the pandemic peak in 2021 and a dip in 2022, volumes are growing again, but more slowly. The sector employs about 270,000 people, and BPEX expects around 3.1% growth a year, to roughly 5.1 billion shipments by 2030.

Online shopping is the main driver. According to the German eCommerce association bevh, online sales of goods grew 3.2% to €83.1 billion in 2025, and bevh and the EHI Retail Institute expect 3.8% growth in 2026.

Consumers are the biggest driver. Around 60% of all shipments go to private customers (B2C), while business shipments (B2B) fell to a record low share of 34% in 2025. Parcels between private people (C2C), driven by platforms such as Vinted and Kleinanzeigen, are small but growing fastest.

Watch out for: delivery out of home is rising fast. Germany had around 65,000 parcel shops and pickup points in 2025, and DHL alone runs around 19,000 Packstations and other parcel lockers. Offering pickup points and lockers at checkout reduces failed deliveries and is expected by many German shoppers.

Market share of parcel companies in Germany

The German parcel market is highly concentrated. In its latest parcel market report, the Federal Network Agency found that six companies handle about 98% of all parcels in Germany:

The regulator only publishes ranges, based on 2023 data, so treat any exact market-share percentages you see online with care. DHL leads especially in deliveries to and from private customers, while the business-customer segment is more competitive.

The main delivery companies in Germany at a glance

Other names you may see include GO! for same-day courier and express, and trans-o-flex for B2B and temperature-controlled pharma deliveries.

Which German parcel service is best for your shop?

Most growing shops use more than one carrier: DHL for the bulk of German orders, plus a second carrier for B2B, bulky items or other EU countries. A fulfilment partner in Germany can switch carriers per order without separate contracts.

DHL (Deutsche Post DHL)

DHL is Germany’s largest parcel service and part of Bonn-based DHL Group, which also owns Deutsche Post. Founded in San Francisco in 1969 and fully owned by Deutsche Post since 2002, DHL delivered about 2.0 billion parcels in Germany in 2025, with German parcel revenue of €8.2 billion. In the first half of 2026 it delivered 994 million parcels in Germany, 3.9% more than a year earlier, and parcel revenue rose 6.8% to €4.1 billion. On a typical working day, DHL handles around 7.5 million parcels in Germany.

• Network: the densest in Germany, with more than 41,000 acceptance and drop-off points, including around 19,000 Packstations, Poststations and DeinFach lockers. DHL plans around 50,000 parcel machines, including partner lockers, by 2030.
• Best for: almost every online shop. German shoppers know and trust DHL, and many expect it at checkout.
• Services: DHL Paket for standard parcels, DHL Kleinpaket (which replaced Warenpost in January 2025) for items up to 1 kg and 25 × 35.3 × 8 cm, DHL Express for time-definite and international shipping, Packstation delivery, returns labels and GoGreen Plus for lower-emission shipping.
• Watch out for: list prices for small senders are higher than Hermes, and support for individual problems can be slow.

Hermes

Hermes Germany, based in Hamburg and part of the Otto Group, is one of the largest B2C parcel services in Germany, with revenue of €1.73 billion in its 2025/26 financial year. Note that the British Hermes is now a separate company called Evri.

• Network: about 17,000 PaketShops in kiosks, petrol stations and shops, plus Hermes Box lockers around Hamburg.
• Best for: small and mid-sized online shops sending light parcels to consumers, where price matters most.
• Services: standard and next-day parcel delivery in Germany, shipping to EU countries through partners, returns via PaketShops.
• Watch out for: fewer options for B2B and for shipping outside the EU than DHL, DPD or UPS.

DPD

DPD Germany, based in Aschaffenburg, is part of Geopost, the parcel group of the French La Poste and one of Europe’s largest parcel networks. It is strong in both B2B and B2C delivery. Geopost delivered 2.1 billion parcels worldwide in 2024 (+2.3%) with revenue of €15.8 billion, and Germany is one of its four biggest markets. DPD Germany doesn’t publish a separate German parcel volume.

• Network: about 9,300 Pickup parcelshops in Germany and around 135,000 shops and lockers across Europe.
• Best for: B2B shipping, shops sending to several EU countries, and customers who want a one-hour delivery window (DPD Predict).
• Services: DPD Classic, Express, Pickup delivery, international shipping across Europe and beyond.
• Watch out for: Saturday delivery and some add-ons cost extra.

GLS

GLS (General Logistics Systems) started in Germany in 1989 as German Parcel and is now headquartered in Amsterdam. It belongs to International Distribution Services (IDS), which also owns Royal Mail. In its 2025/26 financial year GLS earned €6 billion and delivered 977 million parcels for 230,000 customers in more than 50 countries. About 63% of its shipments go to consumers, so GLS is more than a cheaper alternative to DHL: it is a strong choice for B2C and cross-border shipping in Europe.

• Network: about 9,000 parcel shops and a growing number of lockers in Germany, about 10,000 out-of-home points in total.
• Best for: online shops shipping to consumers in Germany and across Europe, and B2B shippers, with reliable delivery times.
• Services: BusinessParcel, EuroBusinessParcel, ExpressParcel, FlexDeliveryService and cash on delivery.
• Watch out for: a smaller pickup network than DHL or Hermes, and Saturday delivery only in some areas.

UPS

UPS is one of the world’s largest parcel companies. In 2025 it delivered 5.2 billion packages, an average of 20.8 million a day, with revenue of $88.7 billion. UPS doesn’t publish German domestic figures, but in Germany it is a major player in B2B and express delivery, especially for heavier parcels and international, time-definite shipments.

• Best for: B2B, express and worldwide shipping where customs handling and tracking matter.
• Services: UPS Standard, Express Saver, Express, Access Point delivery and returns.
• Watch out for: usually more expensive than Hermes or DHL for light B2C parcels within Germany.

Amazon Logistics

Amazon delivers a large share of its own orders in Germany with its own network; the Federal Network Agency puts its share of parcel shipments at 15–25%. Amazon offers Same-Day Delivery in more than 135 European locations, including Berlin and Erfurt, and is adding more cities such as Augsburg. Sellers can’t book Amazon as a normal carrier, but they reach it through Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) or Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment. If you sell on Amazon from your own stock, see Amazon FBM fulfilment.

International shipping from Germany

Germany is a good base for shipping across Europe: from a central German warehouse, most EU countries are reachable in one to three days by parcel. DPD, GLS and DHL cover the EU well with their own or partner networks, while DHL Express and UPS are the usual choice for shipments outside the EU.

• Within the EU: no customs, but you may need VAT registration or the One-Stop Shop (OSS) for cross-border sales.
• Outside the EU: export declarations and, in the destination country, import duties and VAT. For Switzerland, Norway and the UK, choose a carrier that handles customs.
• Importing into Germany: since July 2026, low-value parcels from outside the EU pay a €3 customs duty per item type, which makes holding stock in a German warehouse more attractive. See customs clearance.

What about parcel forwarding from Germany?

Parcel forwarding services give shoppers abroad a German address, receive their orders from German online shops and forward them internationally. They are useful for individual shoppers, but expensive and slow for businesses. If you sell to customers in Germany from abroad, storing your stock in a German warehouse and shipping domestically is faster and cheaper. See fulfilment in Germany.

How to choose a parcel delivery company in Germany

1. Look at your parcels: size, weight and value decide whether Kleinpaket, standard parcels or freight fit best.
2. Check where your customers are: mostly Germany, the whole EU or worldwide.
3. Offer what shoppers expect: DHL at checkout, plus Packstation and parcel shop delivery.
4. Compare total cost: price per parcel plus surcharges for fuel, size, Saturday delivery and returns. The Federal Network Agency’s parcel price comparison shows list prices for Germany and Europe.
5. Test service quality: on-time delivery, failed deliveries and how quickly problems are solved.
6. Plan for growth: negotiated business rates or a fulfilment partner with existing carrier contracts usually beat starting rates.

Frequently asked questions