November 22, 2025, 7:43 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Cheap orders from China will soon become more expensive: The EU is abolishing the current 150-euro exemption limit for imports from non-EU countries. This means that even the smallest orders from the Far East will be subject to customs duties, starting from the first euro.
The boom in cheap online retail has reached enormous proportions. According to the German Retail Association, around 400,000 packages from Shein and Temu reach German customers daily. Many of these shipments remain duty-free because retailers declare the value of goods too low. According to the EU, this practice occurs with about 65 percent of the packages.
The finance ministers of the member states now want to put a stop to this: From 2028, customs duties will generally apply to all goods, with a transitional regulation possibly starting as early as 2026. Additionally, a flat fee of up to two euros per package is being considered.
Fair Competition and Less Fraud
The announcement is not surprising. As early as 2023, the EU Commission presented a draft for stricter customs rules for goods from China. In 2024, the discussion was reignited due to the hype around Chinese shops like Temu and Shein, TECHBOOK reported. At the same time, plans for a new customs authority were announced, which will operate and collaborate across the EU.
With the reform, the EU Commission aims to create equal conditions for all retailers and prevent tax fraud. Consumer advocate Ramona Pop welcomes the plans as an “important step against the flood of packages.” She demands that online marketplaces take responsibility and actively combat unsafe or illegal products.
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
Buyers will have to expect additional costs even for cheap orders. In most cases, parcel service providers like DHL or Hermes handle customs clearance and collect the fee upon delivery—including their own processing fee. If the service provider does not handle the clearance, customers receive a notification and must pick up their package at customs themselves. The amount of the fee is based on the actual invoice amount.
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With the new regulation, the EU aims to reduce price pressure from cheap imports and simultaneously prevent consumers from benefiting from undeclared or unsafe products—a step that is likely to change online retail in Europe in the long term.