New EU Customs Fee Adds Cost, Confusion To Low-Value Marketplace Imports

The European Union’s new €3 customs duty on low-value imports is set to take effect July 1, adding another cost and potential delivery complication for marketplace orders shipped into the EU from outside the bloc. The fee will apply to many imported items valued up to €150, ending the customs duty relief that previously allowed low-value parcels to enter the EU without customs duty. The temporary measure is expected to remain in place until July 1, 2028 while the EU moves toward broader customs reforms. While the policy has largely been discussed in the context of Temu, Shein and other China-based ecommerce giants, it is not limited to those platforms. It can also affect orders from independent sellers, small businesses and marketplace merchants shipping from outside the EU. For sellers, the practical issue is where the charge will show up. Depending on the carrier, service and destination country, the charge may be paid when a label is purchased, built into a duties-prepaid shipping option, or collected from the buyer before delivery. That uncertainty is already showing up in marketplace guidance, with eBay and Etsy among the few platforms to publicly explain how sellers and buyers may be affected. eBay posted a notice to sellers saying the EU is introducing a €3 customs duty starting July 1 on imported items valued under €150, and carriers may collect those duties as part of the import process. For items shipped using a seller’s own shipping method with duties unpaid, eBay says buyers may be contacted by the carrier about import charges before delivery. The company also warned delivery times may be longer than usual during the early rollout as carriers and customs authorities adjust. Some carriers, including SpeedPAK, may begin requiring duties-prepaid shipping, also known as Delivered Duty Paid or DDP, into the EU for certain services or destinations, according to eBay. Sellers using marketplace-supported international shipping may have a different experience than sellers managing EU shipments on their own. Etsy is giving sellers similar guidance , saying it is not currently collecting the €3 EU customs fee at checkout while carriers work through how to apply the fee across different trade lanes. The fee is expected to be collected at label creation or, in some cases, from the buyer upon delivery when an order ships to an EU country from outside the EU and the total value of the items, excluding shipping, is under €150. Etsy warned the fee may affect shipping costs and fulfillment, with many carriers expected to require upfront payment at label creation to reduce delivery friction and avoid surprise charges for buyers. Some carriers may begin collecting the fee before July 1 for shipments expected to arrive after the deadline, and not all carriers may be ready to support EU shipping on day one. Etsy also says the fee will be charged once per unique item per package, even if the buyer purchases multiple quantities of the same item. That matters for sellers of small, inexpensive goods where a flat €3 charge can quickly become a meaningful percentage of the order value. A single €12 item with a €3 import duty creates a very different buyer experience than a €140 order with the same flat charge. Etsy had also previously warned sellers about a separate €2 France import fee on certain low-value goods imported from outside the EU, but France suspended that fee on June 30. In a pinned update, Etsy said it would no longer begin charging the fee from buyers as previously communicated. As previously reported by Value Added Resource, the EU moved toward the temporary flat fee as part of a broader effort to address the surge in low-value ecommerce shipments and level the playing field for EU businesses. EU To Add €3 Flat Customs Duty Fee On Low Value Imports In July 2026 EU to add flat €3 customs duty fee on imports under €150 in temporary measure aimed at curbing low-value foreign ecommerce shipments. Value Added Resource Liz Morton For now, sellers shipping low-value orders into the EU should check directly with their carriers before accepting or fulfilling those orders, especially if they rely on self-managed international shipping. The fee may be temporary, but the rollout is already shaping up to be uneven. A €3 charge may sound small, but on a low-value marketplace order it can be enough to trigger buyer questions, refused deliveries or cancellation requests if it is not clearly disclosed before the order ships. Shipping Taxes Liz Morton Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Liz Morton is a 17 year ecommerce pro turned indie investigative journalist providing ad-free deep dives on eBay, Amazon, Etsy & more, championing sellers & advocating for corporate accountability.