\n<\/p>\n
This shift will not eliminate duties entirely\u2014goods will still be taxed as bulk imports\u2014but it will allow the platforms to bypass the temporary \u20ac3 flat-rate customs fee that has applied since 1 July to packages valued under \u20ac150. It will also sidestep the proposed additional \u20ac2 handling fee for all such packages arriving from third countries, which the European Commission wants to introduce from 1 November.<\/p>\n
If the supplementary fee is adopted, every relatively low-value parcel sent from China to an EU consumer will cost at least \u20ac5. Packages containing two or more different product categories will face higher charges: a parcel of several T-shirts would attract the \u20ac3 + \u20ac2 fees, while one mixing T-shirts with a watch would incur an extra \u20ac3.<\/p>\n
By contrast, packages dispatched to consumers from warehouses located inside the EU will incur only a \u20ac0.50 charge. This creates a clear commercial incentive for platforms to open or utilise local fulfilment centres.<\/p>\n
From November the platforms will also be required to provide more detailed product descriptions on shipments.<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s move towards a uniform charge followed Italy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s combined sales in Greece at \u20ac627 million in 2024\u2014equivalent to 20.9 % of the country\u2019s total e-commerce market.<\/p>\n