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The story
After the EU tightened taxation on low-value imported parcels, sales from Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress dropped sharply in Germany, and customs authorities across several countries reported handling fewer small parcels. The original article noted that “this looks like an early sign of shifting trade patterns, but European retailers have yet to see any clear benefit.” The news sparked a clash on Lemmy’s c/europe: some users complained that items hard to find in Europe, like electronics repair parts, have gotten more expensive, while others argued that a bit of inconvenience is a fair price if it curbs the flow of low-quality goods and reduces dependence on China. Others went further, questioning whether the system is even working as intended, since it relies on self-reporting by large-scale importers rather than rigorous inspection.
The EU’s new import tariff measures are hitting sales at Chinese shopping platforms. Shein, Temu, and AliExpress have all seen sales drop sharply in Germany, and customs authorities in multiple countries report a decline in the number of small parcels being processed. Early results suggest the measures are reshaping trade patterns, though European retailers have yet to see any clear benefit.
Source: web.archive.org / Original article here
What people said
They don't care about that. This rule was pushed through behind the scenes by businesses that import goods from China and resell them.
I get that. This tariff alone is nowhere near enough, and European industry still has to adapt. The transition will take time, but if it lowers dependence on countries like China and the US, paying a bit more now is good for Europe in the long run.
Yeah, that stings. But what's the alternative? China is flooding the European market with cheap, low-quality, and sometimes dangerous goods. If there's demand for repair parts, EU companies should step up and fill that gap. Even if all they do is bulk-buy the same stuff from AliExpress, it's still better for the environment.
As I understand it, this measure is meant to fix customs being overwhelmed. If the same goods arrive in bulk at a European warehouse instead, that can actually be properly checked — and that's apparently good enough for them.
"Can actually be properly checked" isn't really true. It just relies on self-reporting from large importers and logistics companies. European customs doesn't have enough staff to check everything, whether it's small parcels or bulk imports.
The argument is that shipping from multiple stores makes it impossible to find everything (or even some of it) from the same store, but didn't AliExpress already have multiple stores involved from the start? If not, then as long as a single parcel has lots of items in it, you should be able to live with a €3 surcharge.
It's not €3 per parcel — it's €3 per item type. And "type" is determined per listing page. Even if you buy two ESP32-C2s from the same seller, if they have different SKUs, that's an extra €3 for each one.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The original article reported that the EU’s tougher taxation on low-value imports caused sales at Shein, Temu, and AliExpress to drop in Germany, with customs authorities also handling fewer small parcels — while noting that European retailers have yet to see any clear benefit from this. The thread split over a single question: who ends up bearing the cost? Consumers complained that the cost of obtaining goods with no European alternative, like electronics repair parts, has gone up, while defenders countered that curbing the flow of low-quality, dangerous goods and reducing dependence on China should take priority. Also worth noting is the skepticism around whether the system actually works as intended. Against the assumption that customs can strictly check small parcels, commenters pointed out that enforcement actually relies on self-reporting by large-scale importers, and that staffing shortages make full inspection impossible. In other words, the original article’s take that “the system is starting to work” coexists with on-the-ground accounts of lingering loopholes — and whether this effect reflects a genuine shift in trade structure or just a temporary dip in the numbers remained unresolved as of the thread.
*This article excerpts and loosely translates (into Japanese) a thread from the overseas forum Lemmy c/europe titled “EU parcel duty bites as Chinese shopping platforms lose sales.” Our editorial team is responsible for the translation.
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