EU’s €3 charge cuts Chinese small parcel imports by up to 40%

The European Union’s new flat €3 fee on low-value parcels from outside the bloc has caused a significant decline in cheap imports from China, with data indicating a 30% to 40% drop since the measure’s implementation in July 2026, disrupting the thriving direct-to-consumer market.

The European Union’s new flat €3 charge on low-value parcels from outside the bloc is already cutting the flow of cheap goods from China, with French customs data pointing to a fall of roughly 30% to 40% in small shipments since the measure began on 1 July 2026. According to France’s Economy Ministry, the figures suggest the policy is having an immediate effect on the fast-growing market for direct-to-consumer imports.

For years, platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress have built large businesses around ultra-low-cost goods sent straight to European buyers in tiny packages. That model benefited from a customs exemption for low-value items, helping clothing, accessories, electronics and household products enter the EU with little friction. The new charge removes that advantage and is intended to make the trade less attractive to both sellers and buyers.

The impact has been uneven across the main platforms. Sales volumes between June and July fell by 50% for Temu and by 37% for AliExpress, while Shein recorded a smaller decline of 15%. One reason, according to reporting in Euronews, is that Shein has been preparing a logistics expansion, including a warehouse in Poland due to open at the end of 2025, which could reduce its tax exposure by moving inventory closer to European consumers.

The EU introduced the charge after a surge in low-value imports. The Council of the European Union has said the bloc is trying to respond to the rapid rise in small parcels entering the single market, while also addressing competition concerns and product-safety risks. In 2025, about 5.9 billion low-value goods entered the EU, or more than 16 million shipments a day, and an EU inspection that year found that more than 60% of sampled low-value products failed to meet European requirements or safety standards. The €3 levy is temporary and forms part of a wider customs overhaul due in 2028, with additional processing fees expected to be discussed as soon as November.