Finnish customs data show a significant drop in low-value parcel items from outside the EU, likely linked to the EU’s new €3 charge introduced on 1 July 2026 to address competition, safety, and environmental concerns.
Customs data in Finland show a sharp fall in low-value goods arriving from outside the EU in July, with the number of individual commodity items down by about 76% from a year earlier and about 67% from June. According to Finnish customs official Antti Hästbacka, the number of shipments also declined, but by a smaller margin of about 20% compared with the previous month.
The distinction matters because a single parcel can contain several separate commodity items. A pair of identical shirts, for example, counts as one item category, while a parcel containing different products must be split into separate declarations. The Finnish report said the July collapse affected commodity items more severely than overall parcel volumes.
The timing points to the EU’s new fixed charge on small parcels from outside the bloc, which took effect on 1 July 2026. The European Commission said the temporary €3 duty applies to low-value parcels of up to €150 and is designed to address unfair competition, safety concerns and environmental costs. The Council of the European Union has said the measure will remain in place until a longer-term customs solution is introduced in 2028.
The Finnish Commerce Federation also linked the drop in parcel volumes to the new charge, while Hästbacka said it is reasonable to assume the changes in both item and shipment numbers are connected to the duty. Last year, almost all low-value parcels received by private customers in Finland came from China, with Temu, Shein and AliExpress among the most popular online shops.
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