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The story
On top of the €3 customs-handling fee introduced in July 2026, the EU will add a flat €2 charge to every package entering the bloc starting November 1, regardless of value. The move is aimed at countering low-price imports from Chinese e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Temu, which have been squeezing European retailers — small-parcel imports reportedly fell 60% in the three months after July’s fee took effect. In the Lemmy europe community, users pointed out that while the fee sends prices soaring for individuals importing electronic components, big players like Alibaba can dodge the net entirely by shipping in bulk by the container and using warehouses inside the EU. The loudest complaint: ‘It’s only individual importers who get screwed.’
Starting November 1, the EU will impose a new €2 fee on all packages, regardless of value. A €3 fee was also introduced in July, after which small-parcel imports fell 60% over the following three months. The new rule is intended to protect European retailers from imports via Chinese e-commerce platforms that compete on rock-bottom prices. The new €2 fee, taking effect November 1, applies to every package regardless of value, covers customs-handling costs, and comes on top of the existing €3 fee.
Source: revenue.ie / original article here
What people said
Even buying parts is a hassle now. Just for fun I checked AliExpress — 50 red LEDs for €0.79. Looked cheap, until the import fee came out to €6.15. Shady resellers must be thrilled.
Yeah it sucks, but hey, at least there's a 'good reason' behind it (lol)
That's exactly the point. If the warehouse is here instead of on another continent, authorities can actually go inspect a big warehouse. Apparently Temu is already advertising express shipping from a warehouse in Germany. Not that I plan on shopping there anyway.
That's exactly the point, though. The EU has pretty strict consumer-protection laws covering all kinds of goods. A container usually holds just one type of product, so inspecting a container with 1,000 units takes about as long as inspecting a single-item package. That's why the EU wants imports funneled through that route.
The real goal is simply more money for the government and commercial importers.
I think most platforms will just keep charging it directly like they already do.
Context and Debate Behind This Story
This fee is a response to the way companies like AliExpress, Temu, and SHEIN rapidly exploited a gap in the EU’s long-standing rule exempting packages under €150 from customs duty — officially, it’s framed as both a revenue measure and a consumer-protection measure. The thread split over whether it can actually reduce overall import volume: many pointed out that operators like Alibaba, which ship in bulk by the container to EU-based warehouses and sort parcels afterward, are barely affected by the fee, meaning the real burden falls almost entirely on individuals importing small quantities directly. The figure showing small parcels dropping 60% after July’s €3 fee may likewise reflect a shift in shipping routes rather than an actual decline in imports. One point readers may easily misunderstand: the fee is flat regardless of item price, so a part worth just a few hundred yen gets hit with the same charge as an expensive item — making it proportionally far more burdensome for cheap goods.
*This article is excerpted from a thread on the overseas forum Lemmy, c/europe — ‘EU to impose (additional) €2 fee on all packages entering the bloc as of 1 November‘ — and freely translated into Japanese by our editorial team. Our site takes responsibility for the translation.
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