The EU’s €150 duty exemption is gone. Here’s what changes.

For years, parcels worth €150 or less entered the EU without customs duty. That ended on June 30, 2026. Here’s what replaced it and what to do about it.

What changed

• Since July 1, 2026, low-value parcels of up to €150 sent from outside the EU pay a flat customs duty of €3 per item.
• An “item” follows the tariff classification, not the quantity. The European Commission’s own example: five T-shirts count as one item and pay €3, while a T-shirt and a watch count as two and pay €6.
• It applies whichever VAT route you use, with limited exclusions for goods under trade preference arrangements.
• The charge falls on the business. The declarant is usually the seller or importer, not the shopper.
• It’s temporary. It’s set to run until July 1, 2028, when normal duty rates are expected to take over once the EU’s new customs data system is ready.

Why low prices feel it most

€3 barely matters on a €140 jacket. On a €12 phone case it’s a quarter of the shelf price, before VAT, fees and shipping. Parcels with several product types pay it several times, and the way a parcel is declared can also change the bill.

European Commission guidance also sets out a separate €2 handling fee per item on distance sales of any value, due to start on November 1, 2026, with no end date. It isn’t refundable. Some member states have moved ahead with national fees, so check the current position for the countries you ship into.

Why stock in Europe often wins

When you import in bulk, you pay the normal duty rate on the customs value of the goods. On a product with a customs value of €8 and a 4% duty rate, that’s €0.32 per unit, compared with €3 on a single parcel. Rates vary by product, and stock in Europe brings its own VAT registration and storage costs, so run the numbers for your own lines.

What to do now

• Re-run landed cost for every product selling under €150 into the EU.
• Check how many item types your usual parcel contains, and whether bundles can sit under one tariff line.
• Move your steady sellers into EU stock and keep parcels for slow movers.
• Reprice the lines that no longer work at today’s shelf price.