The European Parliament has given final approval for a new processing fee on small online orders from non-EU countries. The regulation takes effect on November 1 and affects deliveries from marketplaces such as Temu, Shein, AliExpress, and Amazon. For consumers in Germany, this raises the question of whether bargains from the Far East will become noticeably more expensive.
Platforms Pay, Exact Amount Still Unclear
Under the rules set by EU member states, e-commerce platforms are formally responsible for paying the levy, rather than end consumers directly. The fee will be collected by the respective national authorities. The exact amount of the handling fee has not yet been determined: the European Commission has yet to set the specific figure. Going forward, this amount is to be reviewed and updated every two years.
The aim of the levy is to offset soaring administrative costs incurred by customs authorities due to the flood of individual shipments. In 2025 alone, customs offices across the European Union handled around six billion e-commerce parcels. According to EU member states, approximately 90 percent of these shipments originated in China.
Part of a Comprehensive Customs Reform
The decision is one component of a broader EU customs reform aimed at better regulating trade and tightening inspections on unsafe or non-compliant goods. Next year, a new European customs authority based in Lille, France, is scheduled to commence operations as part of this initiative.
Independent of the new fee, a flat customs surcharge has already been levied on low-cost imported goods since July: a flat duty of three euros applies per product category in a shipment. Although sellers and importers are officially liable here as well, many retailers are already passing these additional costs on to retail prices. Reliable figures for the EU as a whole are still pending, but in France, the number of imported small packages dropped by up to 40 percent in the first few weeks, according to the French Ministry of Economics.
The current flat rate serves as a transitional solution. Starting in July 2028, a central digital processing platform will become mandatory for online retailers, through which all imports will be subject to customs duties from the very first euro. For other merchants, this obligation will take effect in March 2034.
What Online Shoppers Should Keep in Mind Now
Even though the new processing fee legally targets retailers, shoppers placing orders from November onward should pay close attention to the pricing displayed in their shopping cart. Sellers will likely pass the fees on to customers via shipping surcharges or higher item prices. Anyone ordering products directly from third countries should carefully check total costs before checking out.
Sources: Spiegel.de, Zeit.de
