EU Imposes €3 Fee on Cheap Chinese E-Commerce Imports

The European Union is introducing a €3 fee on low-value e-commerce imports from China that previously entered the bloc duty-free, in a move aimed at online platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.

The fee, which takes effect on Wednesday, will be charged for each customs classification in a shipment. A parcel containing three different types of item would therefore incur a total charge of €9, while a parcel containing several items of the same type would be charged €3.

Brussels says the current system has distorted competition at the expense of European retailers. The number of e-commerce parcels entering the EU under the exemption rose from 1.4 billion in 2022 to 5.8 billion in 2025. The US has already ended a similar exemption.

Analysts expect air shipments of e-commerce goods from China to the EU to fall by 10% to 35% in the weeks after the fees take effect. Platforms are likely to try to pass on some of the additional costs to suppliers, but customers are also expected to face higher prices.

The €3 charge is a temporary measure and is due to be replaced by category-specific duties from 1 July 2028, when the new EU Customs Authority is scheduled to begin operations.

(Reuters, Lud)