The European Commission (EC) plans to introduce a fee for small parcels containing goods from markets such as Asian Shein, Temu and American Amazon, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported, citing a draft of the relevant document.
For several years now, the European Union has been discussing how to solve the problem of the influx of large quantities of parcels from mainly Chinese manufacturers. The markets, most notably Shein and Temu, allow European buyers to order from Chinese manufacturers, who deliver them directly from China. According to EU legislation, parcels worth less than EUR 150 are not subject to import duty, which makes it difficult for customs to check goods.
In this regard, the European Commission is proposing to introduce a “tax on the processing of goods by electronic trading platforms“. This fee will compensate the customs services of the EU countries for losses caused by the need to process a large number of parcels through customs. In 2024, the EU received 4.6 billion parcels worth less than EUR 150, 80% of which were sent from China, the newspaper writes. From 2022 to 2024, the number of such shipments increased fourfold.
The EC proposal has not yet been officially submitted to the EU member states. The introduction of such norms requires the consent of all countries in the union.
On February 2, US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, in addition, he canceled a rule similar to the European one, which allowed parcels worth less than $ 800 to be sent to the country without customs inspection and payment of import duties. As reported by American media, this decision could hit the positions of Shein, Tamu and AliExpress in the Chinese markets. In addition, on February 5, the Semafor portal, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration is considering adding Shein and Tamu to the list of companies that allegedly use forced labor. Both companies deny such accusations.