Key facts
- A new EU customs duty of €3 applies to low-value parcels entering the EU from outside the bloc.
- The duty is charged per item type, not per order, for goods valued up to €150.
- The European Commission states the duty is intended to create fairer competition and cover processing costs.
- Experts suggest that businesses typically pass these costs on to consumers.
- Platforms shipping from within the EU are exempt from the duty.
- Temu has been preparing for this change by encouraging and undertaking local warehousing in Europe.
A new EU customs duty, implemented on July 1, has sparked debate among social media users claiming online shopping from outside the bloc has become more expensive. The European Commission introduced a temporary €3 customs handling duty on low-value parcels, up to €150, entering the EU directly from non-EU countries. This measure, effective until July 1, 2028, aims to foster fairer competition for European businesses and cover the costs associated with processing a growing volume of low-value imports.
While the European Commission states the duty is legally charged to e-commerce platforms and not directly to consumers, experts suggest that businesses often pass these additional costs onto shoppers. Olivia Brown, a policy officer at Euroconsumers, noted that additional costs in the supply chain are rarely absorbed by companies and are typically reflected in consumer prices. A test purchase on Amazon from outside the EU to Belgium confirmed the application of a €3 'import charges' fee at checkout, linked to the new duty.
The duty is applied per item type based on its customs tariff classification, meaning multiple duties can be levied on a single order if it contains items from different categories. For instance, ordering two T-shirts, a phone, and a watch could incur three separate €3 duties, totaling €9 in import charges before VAT.
To mitigate the impact, some platforms are shipping products from warehouses already located within the EU, thereby avoiding the new levy as the goods are not directly entering the EU customs territory. Amazon, for example, reported that 97% of products ordered through its EU stores in 2025 were dispatched from within the EU. China tech analyst Ed Sander noted that companies like Temu had been preparing for this change by encouraging merchants to store goods in European warehouses since 2024, and by stocking goods itself in local warehouses to import them in bulk by sea rather than individually by air.