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As of July 1, 2026, the outdated duty exemption for shipments under 150 euros was eliminated [by new EU regulations]. Goods originating from third countries are now subject to a fixed customs fee of 3 euros per category within a package.
This measure aims to relieve the system, level the playing field for European entrepreneurs, and curb the negative trade balance. The fees are collected directly from the e-commerce platforms, not from consumers upon delivery, shifting the responsibility onto the major players rather than customs authorities.
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This decision is also driven by safety concerns. Studies from 2025 proved that over 60 percent of low-value goods from third countries do not meet EU safety standards, often containing toxic ingredients. The new regulations introduce an obligation to declare Product Identifiers (PID), which will make it easier to catch risky goods. Initially voluntary, this will become mandatory from November 2026.
As Patrycja Sass-Staniszewska, president of the Chamber of Digital Economy, points out, Polish and European companies have spent enormous sums (in Poland, around 171.5 billion PLN) to comply with EU requirements, such as GDPR, DAC7, or the Omnibus Directive, while Asian competition has so far remained outside this strict regime.
The 3-euro fee is merely a temporary measure. Ultimately, in July 2028, the EU Customs Data Hub will be launched, introducing fully automated standard customs rates, definitively closing the era of operational loopholes.
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The Chinese counterattack, or logistics evolution
EU regulations have hit hard, but it would be naive to think that Asian corporations will simply give up on the lucrative European market. Arkadiusz Filipowski from Fulfilio notes that feverish work is underway to adjust supply chains. Big tech from China is already implementing four fundamental strategies to successfully adapt to Brussels’ new policy.
The key move is shifting to a model of full warehouse support within the EU territory. Instead of sending millions of separate, duty-burdened packages directly from Shenzhen, goods are flowing into Europe in containers as bulk cargo.
Taxes and duties are paid collectively at EU borders, and giants like Shein or Temu are renting hundreds of thousands of square meters of warehouse space, particularly in western Poland and Hungary. As a result, a package for which the customer does not have to pay the new 3-euro fee reaches them from a Polish warehouse in 24-48 hours.
Another tactic is looking for logistics loopholes and geographical “border hopping.” This method exploits loopholes in the form of Western Balkan states and 14+1 format participants that remain outside the European Union. Goods land via cargo planes in Serbia, Albania, or Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they are subject to more lenient regulations. After being repackaged and given local labels, they enter the EU by land through less stringent border crossings.
The final element is an aggressive price war consisting of cost subsidization by major market players (such as PDD Holdings, the owner of Temu). Platforms take the burden of the new customs fees upon themselves or hide them in the product’s price, simultaneously offering virtual discount coupons. In clearance systems like IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop), there is still manipulation of customs values and goods categorization, allowing for additional minimization of fees. All of this is done so that the costs on the consumer’s side in the mobile app appear untouched.
Brussels, after years of dormancy, has decided to close the gates on the wave of Asian shipments. The introduced changes have caused immediate shock, but the Chinese trade ecosystem has already begun its counteroffensive. The coming months will show whether the EU consumer will unlearn buying the cheapest products, or if the transport routes will simply change.
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I don’t buy everything from AliExpress, but when I do, it’s because those niche weird gadgets and components just don’t exist in EU online or retail shops. Like, do you guys know how hard it is to find a cable with micro 4pin connector to standard 4pin PWM fan connector adapters to connect regular computer fan directly to graphic card? When I was modding my graphic card ordering it from China was the only option. EK had somethong, but was too long and of wrong type. So, in my case 3€ premium is something I’m willing to look over because I depend on the part availability more than cheap price.
I’d never ever order clothing from China coz it’s all low quality fakes or god forbid food or any type of cosmetics or medicine. I don’t trust any of that shit coz it’s not regulated or safety checked in any way.
Same. its mostly tat, but i do get the odd craft item or cable mostly due to lack of local availability. i find even if i try to get those things local they are only dropshipping anyway.
Would dream of getting clothing or household clutter.
In my opinion we need to talk about european manufacturing. It doesn’t matter if some chinese company is sending the same toxic and unsafe product directly to a EU customer or if some dropshipping company is doing that or if somebody else is importing that crap and selling it in stores. Those products are not only on AliExpress or Temu. They are being sold by EU companies on every online marketplace. They are sold at every flea market. They are sold in stores. And there really is nobody around enforcing “european safety standards” for those 1€ stores or random flea market sellers.
Studies from 2025 proved that over 60 percent of low-value goods from third countries do not meet EU safety standards, often containing toxic ingredients.
Well, that’s horrifying.
I recall some findings from a consumer watchdog on goods from Shein. They found kids toys (including biting toys for infants) with thousands of times the legally permitted amount of toxic substances. There was a necklace that was made of over 80% cadmium. This is beyond negligence and crosses into chemical warfare territory.
Is this a good thing? If they store their goods in Poland, then the EU could inspect them right?
If they store their goods in Poland, it means some company in Poland is importing the goods and we can hold this company accountable for safety standards. The problem is only the packages which go directly to consumers, I think.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the importing company is changing every month and going bancrupt afterwards.
Knowingly mismanaging a company’s finances to the point that it goes bankrupt, as would be the case here, is a fairly straightforward path to personally being held accountable afaik.
In theory yes. In practice not many places actually do anything against serial fraudsters.
Unfortunately true, this would be a case at the center of public and political attention though
Right now you can be the importer, but for product safety these platforms use EU based representatives. You usually see it on the label, it mentions REP and some European address. Those can be shady companies that mostly exist on paper though.
The EU is also changing the law to make the platforms directly responsible for product safety.
These trumpian tariffs do nothing to help the consumer, it only protects the profits of capitalist middle men like Amazon, where exactly the same goods are sold at 10 times the price.
It’s hilarious how elegantly you are trying to distract the discussion to Amazon, even using a false argument.
Chinese platforms - very much as any Chinese companies - use integrated supply chains exploiting almost exclusively Chinese firms. You can buy these poisonous, unsafe products only in China.
But the tariffs are here for Amazon, too.
Oh, and btw, China has imposed a lot of tariffs against the EU, Canada, and other states of late. Does that help the already low consumer confidence in China’s domestic market?
[Edit typo.]
How is it a false argument when the majority of the “poisonous unsafe products” found on Chinese platforms can be found on Amazon, shipping from Amazon’s warehouses, only at 10 times the price.
Ah yes, the one weird trick of importing goods from China and selling them to consumers in the west.
You know, like every other business in the west is doing - importing goods from China and selling them to consumers in the west.
