Get Your Bol.com Invoice

Requesting a bol.com invoice seems straightforward, but in practice, both buyers and sellers often encounter obstacles. Whether you've made a business purchase and need a VAT invoice for your administration, or you're a seller looking to streamline your invoicing process - in this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the process step by step. We cover the entire process for both buyers and sellers, including common issues and how to automate your invoicing.

Why is requesting a bol.com invoice sometimes difficult?

Bol.com is a marketplace where both bol.com itself and external partners sell products. This means that invoicing depends on who actually sold and shipped the product. When bol.com is the seller (indicated as "Sold by bol.com"), you automatically receive an invoice in your account. With external sellers - also known as partner sellers - the seller is responsible for sending the invoice. This often leads to confusion, especially among business buyers who need a VAT invoice for their accounting.

The distinction is crucial: bol.com acts as an intermediary and is not the legal seller in partner sales. As a result, the invoicing obligation falls under the partner seller, not bol.com itself.

How do you request an invoice as a buyer on bol.com?

Step 1: Check who the seller is

Go to your order history on bol.com and check who sold the product for the relevant order. If it says "Sold by bol.com", you can download the invoice directly from your account. For a partner seller, you need to request the invoice from that seller.

Step 2: Downloading the invoice for sales by bol.com

Log in to your bol.com account, go to "Orders", and click on the relevant order. For orders handled by bol.com itself, you'll find a download button for the invoice in PDF format. This invoice contains all the necessary information: bol.com's VAT number, VAT amount, product name, and price.

Step 3: Requesting an invoice from a partner seller

For an external seller, click on "Contact seller" in your order details. Mention your order number and explicitly ask for a VAT invoice. The seller is legally required to provide an invoice for business transactions. Tip: mention your company name and VAT number so the seller can include them on the invoice.

Overview: requesting an invoice as a buyer vs. seller

Aspect	Buyer (business)	Seller (partner)
Invoice for sales by bol.com	Download directly from account	Not applicable
Invoice for partner sales	Request from partner seller	Send to customer yourself
VAT information required	Yes, for VAT deduction	Yes, legal requirement
Automation possible	No (manual download)	Yes, via tools like Boloo Facturatie
Retention period	7 years (fiscal)	7 years (fiscal)
Common problem	Seller doesn't respond	Manual invoicing takes time
Solution to problems	Involve bol.com customer service	Automate invoicing

How do you send invoices automatically as a seller on bol.com?

As a partner seller on bol.com, you're required to send invoices to your customers. With a limited number of orders per month, manual invoicing is still manageable, but as you scale up, it becomes a time-consuming task. Moreover, manual invoicing increases the risk of errors - think incorrect VAT rates, missing order numbers, or incorrect amounts.

Manual Invoicing: The Basic Steps

When manually invoicing, you create an invoice for each order in your accounting software or via a template. You retrieve the order data from the bol.com sales platform, fill in the customer data, and send the invoice by email. This process takes an average of 5 to 10 minutes per order - with 100 orders per month, you'll quickly spend a whole working day on invoicing.

Automated Invoicing with Boloo

With Boloo's automated invoicing, invoices are automatically generated and sent as soon as an order is shipped. The system retrieves all order data directly from the bol.com API, calculates the correct VAT rates, and sends the invoice directly to the customer. This not only saves you hours per week but also prevents errors in your administration.

What Should Be Included on a VAT Invoice?

A valid VAT invoice must meet the requirements of the Tax Authority. Whether you're checking an invoice as a buyer or creating one as a seller, make sure the following information is included:

Mandatory Field	Explanation	Example
Invoice Number	Consecutive, unique number	INV-2026-001234
Invoice Date	Date of issue	27-03-2026
Seller's Name & Address	Full company details	Company B.V., Street 1, Amsterdam
Seller's VAT Number	Dutch VAT identification number	NL123456789B01
Buyer's Name & Address	Mandatory for business transactions	Customer B.V., Road 2, Rotterdam
Product/Service Description	Clear product description	Bluetooth speaker, model X
Quantity and Unit Price	Excluding VAT	1x €49,59
VAT Rate and VAT Amount	Per tax rate	21% - €10,41
Total Amount Including VAT	Final total	€60,00

Common Issues When Requesting Invoices

Seller Doesn't Respond to Invoice Request

If a partner seller doesn't respond to your request for an invoice, you can involve bol.com's customer service. Bol.com can address the seller about their obligation to provide an invoice. Always keep a copy of your message history as proof. Keep in mind that the seller is legally required to send an invoice within a reasonable timeframe.

Received an Invoice Without VAT

Sometimes you receive an invoice without VAT. This can have various causes: the seller is exempt from VAT under the small business scheme (KOR), it's a delivery from abroad with reverse-charged VAT, or simply an error was made. Always check if the seller's VAT number is on the invoice and if the VAT amount is correctly calculated.

Difference Between a Packing Slip and an Invoice

A common mistake is confusing a packing slip with an invoice. The packing slip included with your package is not a valid VAT invoice. A packing slip only contains product information and is intended for checking the delivery. For your accounting and VAT return, you need an official invoice with all the mandatory fields mentioned above.

What Does This Mean for Your VAT Return?

As an entrepreneur, you can claim back VAT on business purchases via your VAT return - but only if you have a valid VAT invoice. Without an invoice, you can't deduct the pre-tax amount. This makes requesting invoices not just an administrative task, but directly affects your profitability.

For sellers, you're required to charge VAT once you exceed the KOR threshold (€20,000 turnover per year). All invoices you send must include the correct VAT rate: 21% for most products, 9% for certain categories like books and food. With a tool like the Boloo Profit Calculator, you can easily calculate your net margin after VAT payment.

Invoices as part of professional selling

Professional invoicing contributes to customer satisfaction and trust. Customers who quickly and correctly receive an invoice are more likely to buy from you again. Moreover, good invoicing prevents negative reviews - a missing invoice is a common reason for complaints on the bol.com platform.

By automating your invoicing process with Boloo, you ensure that every customer receives a professional invoice immediately after shipping. This not only improves your customer service but also gives you more time to focus on growth - like finding new products via the Product Database or optimizing your listings with the Listing Generator AI.

Tips for an efficient invoicing administration

Whether you're a buyer or seller, a structured approach saves you a lot of time and prevents problems with the tax authorities:

• Store all invoices digitally: Use a cloud storage service or accounting program. The fiscal retention period is 7 years.
• Check invoices upon receipt: Immediately verify if all required fields are present and if amounts are correct.
• Automate where possible: As a seller, you save hours per week by automating invoicing.
• Keep an invoice log: Note per order whether an invoice has been sent or received, so you don't miss anything.
• Use your sales dashboard: Monitor your turnover and link it to your invoicing overview for a complete financial picture.

Frequently asked questions about requesting a bol.com invoice

Can I request an invoice for old orders?

Yes, you can request invoices for orders up to 2 years back. For sales via bol.com, you can download them directly. For partner sellers, you need to contact them, but keep in mind that smaller sellers might not keep their administration that long.

Does a private buyer also need to receive an invoice?

For private sales, an invoice is not always legally required, but a receipt or order confirmation is sufficient. Business buyers, however, always have the right to a VAT invoice.

What if the VAT on the invoice is incorrect?

Contact the seller immediately and ask for a corrected invoice (credit note + new invoice). An incorrect VAT amount can cause problems with your VAT return.

How long does it take to receive an invoice from a partner seller?

There's no legal deadline, but a reasonable term is 5 to 10 working days after your request. If the seller doesn't respond within 14 days, involve bol.com customer service.

Conclusion: don't let invoicing become a bottleneck

Requesting and sending invoices on bol.com doesn't have to be a time-consuming task. As a buyer, you now know exactly where to go for your invoice - whether it's for a purchase from bol.com itself or from a partner seller. As a seller, you can save hours per week by automating smartly and at the same time increase customer satisfaction. With tools like Boloo's automatic invoicing, you make invoicing a background process, so you can focus on what really matters: growing your business.