Wadiz from Europe: only German and Polish firms can launch directly

Who can launch from abroad, and who cannot yet

Your business registration decides it. Wadiz's help centre page "Can anyone become a maker?", last updated on 6 July 2026, lets overseas sole traders and companies open projects if they hold a business registration from one of eight countries: the United States, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Singapore, Poland and Australia. France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK are not on the list.

Makers outside China are paid through Stripe Connect. Wadiz says your Stripe business verification must be approved before you can schedule a launch, that the review takes 1 to 3 business days on average, and that payouts are made in US dollars at the exchange rate on the day the settlement statement is issued. Overseas makers cannot run donation-style projects.

For your company: a GmbH in Munich or a sp. z o.o. in Kraków can apply from its existing registration. A SAS in Lyon cannot, under the current list. The other route Wadiz describes is a Korean business registration, which puts you under the same rules as Korean makers, including KC safety certificates and a mail-order business report. Check the page again before you commit to a date; what we describe here is the 6 July 2026 version.

What Wadiz charges an overseas maker

Wadiz's 2026 fee plan took effect on 2 February 2026. Its notice for makers registered outside Korea, posted on 11 May 2026, lists a 12% service fee with 30% off the first time you use Wadiz, a payment processing fee of 4% plus USD 99, and a separate 2% charge for currency exchange and transfer. Optional consulting costs about 10%.

The right-hand column is our own arithmetic, assuming the percentages apply to the full amount raised. It is not a quote from Wadiz. Before exchange costs, that comes to USD 5,059 (about 12.6%) for a first project and USD 6,499 (about 16.2%) after that.

For your company: set Korean reward prices with those costs in mind, plus the 2% exchange charge, before you add shipping and advertising. Ask Wadiz in writing how the 2% is calculated for your payout.

Shipping from Europe: your Korean backer becomes the importer

Without a Korean registration, you ship each reward directly from abroad. Wadiz's overseas shipping guide compares this to a Korean shopper buying from a foreign online store: the backer is the importer, for personal use only, and must enter a personal customs clearance code when pledging. The guide notes that this code now has to be renewed every year.

Korea Customs Service sets USD 150 as the line for personal-use express shipments from outside the US. Goods priced at or below it can clear on a simple list declaration without duty, though some categories, such as health supplements and food, are excluded from that route. Above USD 150, duty and VAT are charged on the full customs value. The Wadiz guide (item list dated 27 August 2025) adds quantity limits that decide whether a backer still counts as a personal buyer, for example:

• Cosmetics: up to 6 of the same item at a time
• Health supplements: up to 6 bottles
• Electronics: one unit per model per person
• Perfume: up to 60 ml at a time

Medicines, medical devices, alcohol, tobacco and fresh food cannot run as overseas shipping projects at all, and your story must state that the goods may not be resold in Korea. Wadiz does not ask makers registered outside Korea for KC certificates (help page updated 17 June 2026), but the shipping guide warns that customs may ask you for documents and that a delay or failure at customs can end in a refund.

For your company: if your main product costs well over USD 150, your backers pay import duty and VAT on top of the pledge. Offer at least one tier under the limit, and say clearly in Korean who pays the taxes on the higher tiers.

The new official agency programme

On 16 September 2026, Wadiz announced a Global Official Agency Program for foreign brands entering Korea. According to same-day coverage in Venturesquare and Money Today, the agencies are meant to handle KC certification, customs clearance, content, advertising, customer service and shipping, and to help with Korean distribution after the campaign. Wadiz says it will choose agencies on project experience, expertise by field and past work with makers, and it points to its Maker Center for details and applications. The articles cite two earlier campaigns: XGIMI raised a cumulative KRW 2.5 billion across two projects, and UGREEN's NASync storage raised KRW 2.3 billion. Neither article lists agency fees.

For your company: an agency matters most if you want KC certification and Korean import handling rather than direct shipping, because that is the part a direct-ship campaign leaves out. Ask any agency, including us, which tasks it does in-house and which it passes to partners.

Korean backers will look you up before they pledge

A Wadiz page is one tab in the browser. Plan for backers checking you somewhere else, most likely on Naver, and test the plain searches they would type in Korean: 브랜드명 후기 (your brand name plus "review"), 브랜드명 와디즈 (your brand name plus "Wadiz") and your category, such as 캠핑 랜턴 추천 ("camping lantern recommendation"). If those return nothing in Korean, or only your English website, the campaign page has to carry all the trust on its own.

For your company: this is the part HB Crossborder works on. Our Korea Entry package sets up a Naver blog, a KakaoTalk channel and a Korean landing page, so the searches above lead somewhere. It does not include KC certification or customs; we refer those to partners. See our services, or send us one URL and get a free visibility check within 48 hours.