A modest charge is already reshaping Europe’s high-volume e-commerce market.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Imports of low-value parcels into the European Union have fallen by an estimated 30 to 40 percent since the bloc introduced a new customs duty, according to figures cited by France’s Economy Ministry. The decline principally affects shipments from China, which dominate direct-to-consumer sales through platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
The temporary measure imposes a €3 customs duty on each qualifying item contained in consignments valued at no more than €150. It ended the previous exemption that allowed these goods to enter without customs duties, although value-added tax already applied. The rule covers distance sales from every country outside the EU rather than exclusively targeting Chinese companies.
Low-cost e-commerce shipments had expanded to approximately 5.9 billion items during 2025, with the overwhelming majority originating in China. Their volume placed customs authorities under growing operational pressure and gave overseas sellers an advantage over European businesses required to meet local tax, labour and product-compliance obligations. The European Commission has also said that a significant share of imported products is undervalued or fails to comply with safety standards.
The early reduction suggests that even a relatively small charge can influence purchases when the underlying product costs only a few euros. Platforms may absorb part of the duty, increase prices, consolidate orders or stock products inside European warehouses. Consumers could therefore receive fewer individual packages without necessarily reducing their overall purchases of Chinese goods.
The reported decline should consequently be interpreted with caution. It covers only the initial weeks of the policy and does not yet establish a permanent reduction in demand. Sellers may still adjust their logistics, reroute shipments or replace direct parcel deliveries with bulk imports distributed from within the single market.
The customs duty will remain in place until the EU’s wider customs reform becomes operational in 2028, when standard duties based on product classifications are expected to replace it. Product identifiers will become mandatory for low-value imports in November, improving the ability of authorities to trace goods and detect unsafe or falsely declared merchandise. A separate EU handling fee has also been proposed, but its amount and implementation remain distinct from the existing €3 duty.
European retailers see the measure as a necessary correction to unfair competition, while consumers face higher prices and fewer ultra-cheap options. Its real success will depend not simply on reducing parcel numbers, but on whether it improves product safety, customs enforcement and competitive conditions without encouraging new methods of avoidance.
Phoenix24: claridad en la zona gris. / Phoenix24: clarity in the grey zone.