The EU imposes a minimum fee of 3 euros on low-value packages from China

The new fee is calculated according to each customs classification code in the package. For example, a parcel containing 3 different product groups will cost 9 euros, while a package containing only many dresses or many toys of the same type will only cost 3 euros.

Since 2008, the EU has exempted imports worth less than 150 euros. However, the number of parcels enjoying this incentive has skyrocketed, from 1.4 billion euros in 2022 to 5.8 billion in 2025, as foreign platforms take advantage of the regulations to bring cheap goods into the bloc.

According to the EU, the decision to charge fees is intended to limit unfair competition from e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which are growing rapidly but facing criticism from retailers and European officials.

“Previously, the tax exemption regulations for low-value goods were completely reasonable, but now they are not. It has been turned upside down by e-commerce, especially from China,” said Mr. Dirk Gotink, MP in charge of customs reform at the European Parliament.

Derek Lossing, e-commerce consultant at Cirrus Global Advisors, predicts that platforms may pressure suppliers to share part of the costs incurred, to limit price increases and protect profit margins.

It also cannot be ruled out that the selling price to consumers will increase, as they pass on part of the additional costs to customers. Shein has prepared for the new fee policy by expanding its warehouse in Wroclaw (Poland) and increasing the amount of goods shipped in large batches to the EU. Shein and Temu declined to comment on this matter.

AliExpress – part of Alibaba – says eligible products will be labeled “Price includes import duties and VAT”. For other items, details of import fees will be displayed to customers before payment.

Amazon, which recently launched low-cost goods service Amazon Haul, said 97% of orders in the EU last year were delivered from intra-bloc warehouses. For products shipped from outside, buyers are fully informed of fees at checkout.

Before the EU, the US ended tax exemption regulations for low-value goods – called de minimis, for goods imported from China in May 2025 and expanded the application to all imported goods from the end of August of the same year.

According to Mr. Derek Lossing, the question is which new markets can low-cost online sales platforms move into. “When the US ended ‘de minimis’, Europe used to be the ideal alternative but now there is almost no obvious alternative,” he commented.