EU to Impose a €3 Customs Duty per Low-Value E-Commerce Consignment
The EU has ended the historical customs-duty exemption for imports below €150 and will impose a temporary €3 duty per item or tariff line on low-value e-commerce consignments from July 1, 2026.
What are the key facts?
- 1EU ends the historical customs-duty exemption for imports below €150
- 2EU imposes a €3 temporary duty per item from July 1, 2026
- 3EU plans to introduce a small-parcel handling fee from November 1, 2026
- 4Rules affect platform sellers shipping directly to consumers from outside the EU
What happened?
The EU has ended the historical customs-duty exemption for imported goods valued below €150 and plans to introduce a new charging arrangement for low-value e-commerce consignments. From July 1, 2026, affected consignments will be subject to a temporary customs duty of €3 per item or tariff line; in addition, the EU plans to introduce a small-parcel handling fee from November 1, 2026. The rules cover Amazon, independent-store, and other platform sellers shipping directly to consumers from outside the EU. The original notice also states that this matter is currently confirmed but was not newly published within the past 48 hours.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
Low-value e-commerce consignments shipped directly from outside the EU to EU consumers will face a temporary €3 customs duty per item or tariff line, with a small-parcel handling fee also planned. This could directly compress margins on low-average-order-value products. Review costs by EU order, tariff line, and fulfillment method, then reassess pricing and profitability promptly.
What should sellers do now?
- 1This week, export recent orders and SKUs shipped to the EU, identify low-value consignments, tariff lines, and current fulfillment methods, and create a list of affected products.Procurement List
- 2Add a €3 temporary-duty scenario per consignment or tariff line to the existing cost model, recalculate gross margins for EU sales channels, and flag SKUs with insufficient profitability.Finance
- 3Review prices and shipping settings for products shipped directly to the EU, prioritizing low-average-order-value and multi-tariff-line orders for potential price changes, bundled sales, or alternative fulfillment arrangements.Platform Policy