The EU's New Regulations: How Will Online Shopping from Temu, Shein, and AliExpress Change?

Starting on July 1, the European Union introduced new import rules for low-value parcels arriving from China by imposing a €3 handling fee on shipments that had previously entered the EU without customs duties. According to EU officials, the measure is intended to create fairer competition within the European market. Authorities argue that online marketplaces such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress have long benefited from customs exemptions, allowing them to offer significantly lower prices than many European retailers.

The new EU rules introduce a €3 fee for each customs classification within a shipment. As a result, a package containing products from three different categories will incur a total fee of €9, whereas multiple items from the same category will be charged only €3. The customs exemption for low-value imports has existed for decades, with the current €150 threshold introduced in 2008. However, the rapid growth of e-commerce has dramatically increased the number of parcels entering the EU, rising from 1.4 billion in 2022 to approximately 5.8 billion in 2025.

Member of the European Parliament Dirk Gotink stated that the exemption was designed for a very different trading environment. He argued that the rise of online commerce, particularly from China, has transformed the market and allowed the system to be exploited, creating an unfair competitive advantage over European businesses.

In anticipation of these changes, Shein expanded its warehouse capacity in Wrocław, Poland, enabling larger shipments to be stored and distributed within the European Union.

The €3 fee is considered a temporary measure. Beginning on July 1, 2028, it is expected to be replaced by a new customs framework under the EU Customs Authority, with import charges determined according to product categories.

Analysts expect the new policy to increase consumer prices, as online retailers are likely to pass at least part of the additional costs on to customers. AliExpress has announced that, where applicable, product listings will indicate whether customs duties and VAT are already included in the displayed price. For other products, customers will see a detailed breakdown of import charges before completing their purchase.

Amazon also noted that 97% of its deliveries within the European Union last year were fulfilled from warehouses located inside the EU. For goods shipped from outside the bloc, customers are shown the applicable import fees before finalizing their orders.