EHI „Geprüfter Online-Shop“
The first German online-shop seal – with the strictest catalogue of legal texts.
What this seal checks
over 200 individual criteria
- Complete legal texts: terms and conditions, withdrawal notice with sample form, privacy policy, imprint
- No illegal goods or products harmful to minors (distribution and youth protection)
- Product presentation and prices including all additional costs
- Secure, transparent payment terms and an encrypted ordering process
- Clear order guidance with immediate confirmation by email and a price breakdown
- Complaint management: response to customer enquiries within 3 working days
After registration, EHI produces an individual audit report listing shortcomings within a maximum of 10 working days. Only once all requirements are met is the seal awarded – followed by annual re-certification.
How to check whether it's genuine
- 1Click the seal – it must lead to a certificate on cert.ehi-siegel.de.
- 2Additionally look the shop up in the official EHI list of audited shops.
- 3If the shop is missing from the list even though it displays the logo, that points to unauthorised use.
A real certificate or just an image?
A genuine seal leads, on click, to a valid certificate that names exactly this shop. A fake, by contrast, is just a logo – with no working proof.
A genuine certificate sits at a cert.ehi-siegel.de address (via HTTPS) and is assigned to the specific shop.
EHI – verify the seal’s authenticityThe EHI logo is frequently copied without the shop ever having been certified – recognisable by the fact that it is not in the official EHI list and the click leads to no cert.ehi-siegel.de certificate.
Quick check for any seal
These four points apply regardless of the provider.
Click on the seal
A genuine seal is always linked and leads to a certificate page at the provider. If the logo is just an image and not clickable, the most important proof is missing.
The certificate must name this shop
The destination page must explicitly show the shop you came from – with the matching domain. A generic “valid” with no reference to the specific shop is not enough.
Look it up in the official list
Every reputable provider keeps a public, searchable list of certified shops. If the shop is missing there even though it displays the seal, that is a clear warning sign.
Check the status and date
Check the certificate status (valid / revoked) and the date. Expired or revoked certificates do not count – nor do seals from programmes that no longer exist.
Context on this seal
Stiftung Warentest assessment
In the Stiftung Warentest test, EHI refused to certify a deliberately flawed test shop – an indication of strict audit depth.
Cost for merchants
Chargeable for retailers: a one-off setup fee of €75 plus an annual fee based on revenue (from €909/year according to the official EHI price list).
A paid seal is not proof of authenticity, but a signal of legitimacy.
Does a shop carry this seal – rightfully?
Our fake-shop check automatically detects seals without a valid certificate link – together with over 30 more trust signals.
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Seal explainedFakeshop AI has no business relationship with the seal providers mentioned here and is neither authorised nor commissioned by them. This overview is independent, editorial consumer information. All brand names, seal names and logos belong to their respective owners and are shown only for explanation and recognition. Information is provided to the best of our knowledge and without guarantee – the respective provider is always authoritative.