Chinese-owned e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu are rapidly adapting to the European Union’s new charges on low-value packages by establishing logistics facilities inside EU member states.
This shift will not eliminate duties entirely—goods will still be taxed as bulk imports—but it will allow the platforms to bypass the temporary €3 flat-rate customs fee that has applied since 1 July to packages valued under €150. It will also sidestep the proposed additional €2 handling fee for all such packages arriving from third countries, which the European Commission wants to introduce from 1 November.
If the supplementary fee is adopted, every relatively low-value parcel sent from China to an EU consumer will cost at least €5. Packages containing two or more different product categories will face higher charges: a parcel of several T-shirts would attract the €3 + €2 fees, while one mixing T-shirts with a watch would incur an extra €3.
By contrast, packages dispatched to consumers from warehouses located inside the EU will incur only a €0.50 charge. This creates a clear commercial incentive for platforms to open or utilise local fulfilment centres.
From November the platforms will also be required to provide more detailed product descriptions on shipments.
The EU’s move towards a uniform charge followed Italy’s unilateral measures, which prompted cargo flights from China to be diverted to Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary; the parcels were then trucked into Italy duty-free.
Greece, together with Portugal and Spain, ranks among the EU markets with the highest penetration of Chinese e-commerce platforms: more than 70 % of online shoppers have used them. A recent study put Shein and Temu’s combined sales in Greece at €627 million in 2024—equivalent to 20.9 % of the country’s total e-commerce market.
