EU puts an end to cheap shipments: Here’s how much it will cost you to order from China

According to the agreement of the Council of the European Union, from July 1, 2026, a temporary fee of three euros will be applied to small shipments that are delivered directly to customers in the EU. The fee will be calculated for each separate product category included in the package.

This means that buyers will pay more fees for shipments containing different types of goods. For example, if the package contains silk and woolen clothes, which belong to different tariff groups, the total cost of customs duty could amount to six euros.

The measure will remain in force at least until the middle of 2028, that is, until the establishment of a new European customs information center that should enable the full application of the reformed customs system. After that, the temporary model will be replaced by regular customs rules for all goods entering the territory of the European Union.

The European Commission points out that the number of small shipments has been growing explosively in recent years. In 2024 alone, as many as 4.6 billion low-value packages arrived in the member states, and more than 90 percent of them were sent from China.

In Brussels, they believe that the current system is no longer sustainable because it creates an unequal position for domestic traders and reduces customs revenues. The new model should provide additional revenues to both the European budget and the member states participating in the collection of fees.

The reform of the customs system is still the subject of negotiations between the European Parliament and the member states, but European institutions say that modernization is necessary due to the rapid growth of online trade, increasingly complex trade flows and new geopolitical challenges.