article_detail

If you have ever ordered something in Spain or elsewhere, from Temu, Shein or AliExpress and marvelled at how cheap it was, today marks a small but significant shift. From July 1, the European Union is charging a new €3 customs fee on parcels worth under €150 ordered from outside the bloc, ending a decades-old exemption that Brussels says has been badly abused.

 

The scale of the problem the EU is trying to address is genuinely staggering. The number of low-value parcels arriving in the EU has more than quadrupled since 2022, from 1.3 billion to 5.9 billion in 2025. European customs are now handling 15 million incoming products every day. Around 93% of these shipments originate in China, and they average less than €9 in value, meaning they represent 98% of all e-commerce parcels entering the EU but only 2% of the total import value.

 

The EU had already moved to impose customs duties on cheap Chinese imports, a process explained covered when the broader reform was approved last November. [EU imposes customs duty on cheap Chinese imports like Shein and Temu] This new charge is a temporary measure to bridge the gap until the full reform comes into force in July 2028, when tariffs based on parcel contents will replace the current blanket exemption for packages under €150.

 

The fee applies per product type, not per item. So a parcel containing a pair of trousers and a cap would attract a €6 charge, while one containing trousers, a T-shirt and a cap would cost €9. The online platforms or importing companies are responsible for paying the fee, but they are permitted to pass the cost on to consumers through higher prices. What they cannot do is charge the fee directly to the recipient after delivery. If a courier or postal service tries to bill you separately for this charge, that is not allowed.

 

Consumer organisation BEUC has confirmed it will be monitoring how platforms handle the change, with its Head of International Affairs Léa Auffret noting that only in "residual" cases should the consumer be directly responsible for the fee.

 

The safety concerns driving the change are worth noting too. EU research has found that 60% of online products imported from outside the bloc fail to comply with EU law. Cosmetics and toys were among the worst offenders, with 65% of imports in both categories falling below EU safety standards. Last month, Temu was fined €200 million for failing to stop the sale of illegal and dangerous products.

 

An additional handling fee, separate from the €3 charge, is also expected to be introduced later this year, though its final amount has not yet been confirmed.

 

 

Image: dendoktoor/Pixabay