EU introduces temporary €3 duty on low-cost parcels — Anadolu Agency
On July 1, the European Union introduced a temporary €3 duty on low-cost parcels arriving from outside the bloc. The decision ended the long-standing exemption from customs duties for imported shipments worth up to €150 and increased pressure on trading platforms, including Shein and Temu, which deliver a significant share of goods directly from China.
As Anadolu Agency reports, the EU explains the new measures by the need to combat unfair competition, customs fraud, risks from unsafe products, and the environmental impact of a large number of individual parcels.
New rules for marketplaces
The European Parliament has also approved a broader reform of the EU Customs Code. It provides that platforms facilitating direct sales of goods from outside the European Union will be considered importers. A separate processing fee for such shipments must be introduced no later than November 1, 2026.
E-commerce analyst Juozas Kaziukėnas said the changes are primarily intended to reduce the price advantage of Chinese platforms over local sellers. According to him, for the cheapest goods, the new duty has sometimes doubled the total cost of an order. Temu began listing the fee separately, while Shein raised prices to account for the additional costs.
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Decline in parcel volumes and changes in logistics
Lea Auffret, head of international affairs at the European Consumer Organisation BEUC, noted that it is still too early to assess whether shoppers are changing their habits permanently. At the same time, she cited estimates according to which parcel volumes have declined by 30–70%. French customs estimated the overall reduction in imports of small parcels to the EU at 30–40%, while Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported that arrivals of small Shein and Temu shipments at Liège Airport had halved.
The new rules are encouraging platforms to import goods in larger batches and use warehouses within the EU. Shein, in particular, opened a large logistics hub near Wrocław in 2025. In Auffret's view, it is easier for customs services to inspect large batches of identical goods than tens of thousands of different individual parcels.
In France, a separate fee on ultra-fast fashion goods was also introduced in September, particularly affecting Shein and Temu. Its amount is expected to increase and could reach nearly €20 per item by 2030. Auffret called this mechanism an environmental contribution based on the “polluter pays” principle.
