How A European Brand Can Sell On
Nordstrom, Saks And Bloomingdale's
A European brand can sell on Nordstrom, Saks and Bloomingdale's in two ways: as a wholesale vendor, where the retailer's buyers purchase your stock, or, at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, through their curated online marketplace programs, where you list products on their site and ship the orders yourself. Saks works with new brands mainly through wholesale. Either way, the retailer needs a US-ready seller: someone it can contract with, who ships and takes returns inside the US, carries insurance, and delivers clean product data. You can build that yourself, or work with a US operator so you sell under your own brand name without opening a US company.
Two Ways In: Wholesale Or Marketplace
Wholesale. A buyer selects styles, places a purchase order and the retailer owns the stock. It carries prestige and the retailer takes the inventory risk. It is also the hardest door to open. Buyers have limited budget per season and usually want proof that the brand already sells.
Marketplace. Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's also run online marketplace programs alongside their own buying. Saks works mainly through wholesale. You stay the owner of the stock, you set the price within the retailer's rules, and the retailer takes a commission on each sale. It is usually faster to start and lets you show US demand before a buyer commits.
Many brands start on a marketplace program and use the sales history to open a wholesale conversation later.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom is known for service, a generous returns culture and a strong mix of contemporary and premium fashion, shoes and beauty. Alongside its traditional buying, Nordstrom launched an online marketplace in 2024 that lets selected brands sell on nordstrom.com. It is curated and selective.
What it looks for: brands that fit its customer, reliable fast shipping, accurate size and fit information, and a returns experience that matches Nordstrom's own standard. Footwear and accessories with clear sizing tend to translate well.
Saks
Saks sits at the luxury and advanced contemporary end of the market and works with new brands mainly through wholesale buying. The bar for brand image is high.
What it looks for: a clear point of view, premium photography and materials, price discipline, and a brand that sits comfortably next to established designer labels. Jewellery, ready-to-wear and luxury home brands with a strong story are a natural fit.
A note on terms: Saks's parent company, Saks Global, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2026 after falling behind on vendor payments. It emerged in June 2026 under a new corporate name, Exemplar Luxury Group. Some smaller vendors have reported still waiting on payments. Before shipping stock, check payment terms, order size and the protections in your agreement carefully.
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's covers a wide range, from contemporary fashion to beauty and home. It also runs a curated online marketplace on bloomingdales.com for selected brands, next to its buying team, which gives new brands a way to test the US customer.
What it looks for: brands with a fresh angle in categories where it wants range, reliable stock levels, and product content that meets its listing standards. Home and beauty brands can find more room here than at more fashion-led stores.
What All Three Expect
- A US seller of record. A business the retailer can contract with, pay, and hold to US rules. This can be your own US entity or a US operator acting for you.
- US fulfilment and returns. Fast domestic delivery and a US returns address. Shipping each order from Europe rarely meets their standards, especially now that every parcel pays US duties.
- Product data and images. Clean titles, US sizing, materials, care, country of origin, barcodes (GS1 UPCs) and images on the retailer's required backgrounds and sizes.
- Pricing and margin. A US retail price that stays consistent across channels and leaves room for the retailer's margin or commission, duties, freight and returns.
- Insurance. Product liability cover with US limits, often naming the retailer as an additional insured.
- Compliance. US labelling rules for textiles and footwear, FDA rules for cosmetics, including facility registration and product listing, and category rules such as CPSIA for children's products.
A Realistic Timeline
Timelines vary by retailer and by how ready you are. As a planning guide for a marketplace program:
- Weeks 1 to 4: fit review, application and commercial terms.
- Weeks 4 to 10: US entity or seller of record, insurance, barcodes, product data and images.
- Weeks 8 to 14: stock lands in a US warehouse, listings are approved, first orders ship.
Wholesale follows the retailer's buying calendar. Expect to present a season ahead and to wait one or more seasons for a first order.
Common Mistakes European Brands Make
- Converting the euro price instead of building a US price that covers duties, freight, returns and the retailer's share.
- Shipping from Europe and hoping the customer accepts slow delivery and duty charges.
- Listing EU sizes only, or vague fit notes, which drives returns.
- Sending too many styles. A focused edit of proven best sellers performs better than the full line.
- Underestimating returns. US customers return more, and the cost has to be in the plan.
- Signing exclusivity or discount clauses without reading how they affect other channels.
Selling Under Your Own Name, Without A US Company
HORIZON.HUB acts as the US seller of record on the retailer accounts, while your products are always listed under your own brand name. We can act as importer of record, or work through a simple consignment agreement, and support you through US customs. Shipping the goods to the US stays your responsibility. Once stock arrives, we hold it in our Florida warehouse, ship orders and handle returns inside the US, prepare the product data and run the accounts. You keep control of your brand and pricing, and you do not need to open a US company.
See how the pieces fit in our marketplace onboarding, logistics and fulfilment and US market entry strategy services. If you are still deciding how to enter the US at all, start with our guide to US market entry strategies.
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a US company to sell on Nordstrom, Saks or Bloomingdale's?
Not necessarily. Each retailer needs a vendor or seller it can contract with, pay and hold to US standards for returns, insurance and compliance. Some brands open a US entity for this. Others work through a US operator that acts as the seller of record while the products stay listed under the brand's own name.
Is a wholesale account better than a marketplace listing?
They suit different stages. Wholesale means the retailer buys stock and takes the inventory risk, but buying slots are limited and terms are set by the buyer. A marketplace listing, offered today by Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's but not by Saks, keeps the stock and pricing with you and is usually easier to start, but you carry the inventory and must meet the retailer's service standards.
How long does it take to go live?
It varies by retailer, category and how ready your product data and US stock are. For a marketplace program, a few months from application to first orders is a realistic planning range. Wholesale relationships usually follow the buying calendar and can take one or more seasons.
What fees and margins should I expect?
Terms differ by retailer, category and agreement, and most are not published. Plan your US price so it can absorb a retailer commission or wholesale margin, US duties, freight, returns and marketing, and still leave you a healthy margin.
Talk It Through With Us
Every brand starts from a different place. Book a call and we will look at your categories, your prices and your stock, and tell you plainly what we would do.
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