# How does German "netto" differ from English "net" in sales signage, costing, etc

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-german-netto-differ-from-english-net-in-sales-signage-costing-etc/983472>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 2, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-german-netto-differ-from-english-net-in-sales-signage-costing-etc/983472 "2023-05-02T15:21:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-german-netto-differ-from-english-net-in-sales-signage-costing-etc/983472/1 "2023-05-02T15:21:06Z")

</div>

( @EinsteinsHund might have a bead on this)

If I’m looking at a German-language website – a product-selling website – and I see pricing information rendered like so:

**20,00 €**  
**netto €16,25**

… what exactly is “netto” - and the following amount - telling me, the purchaser? I assume I will be paying the higher of the values shown, so 20 euros come out of my pocket. German “Netto” is just translated, unsurprisingly, as English “net” (as in “gross” vs. “net” amounts). But I don’t think English-language signage would use “net” this way in displaying pricing for individual consumers. For wholesalers, maybe.

Is it an alternative way of rendering “price with tax” and “price without tax”?

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-german-netto-differ-from-english-net-in-sales-signage-costing-etc/983472)._