I agree about the ambiguity of CE marking. It's pretty impenetrable as a non-expert. I wonder if he's referring to Fabius the Delayer.
> It even made me suspect that it is easier for a non-EU country to sell to customers in the EU than it is for an EU company to do the same. An advantage that Chinese businesses surely enjoy.
100% correct. There's way too many small parcels for customs to check them; the major nuisance is the recipient having to pay the tax themselves.
> If one were to incorporate in Estonia but not sell to anyone in Estonia, or any member of the European Union for that matter, that company would theoretically be exempt from a whole cluster of legal and tax headaches.
.. but why would you do that? This guy appears to be a US national, he should just register in Delaware like everyone else. The Estonian company and "E-Estonia" system is primarily useful if you do want to do business in the EU and have a presence there.
If you're not in the EU and want a flag of convenience company registration, the usual places like Grand Cayman offer their services.