New changes in online shopping, especially with regard to platforms outside Europe that sell at low cost to the European continent. From now on they will no longer have it so easy when it comes to offering cheaper products than Spanish companies. And the European Union will begin to apply from this Sunday, November 1, a new management fee of 2 euros per item to products purchased online that come from non-member countries. This measure will affect imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu and adds to the tariff of 3 euros that has already been in force since last July for purchases of less than 150 euros.
It has been the European Commission itself that has set this rate, based on the customs reform approved in September and it must be paid by the entity responsible for import costs, with the aim of preventing it from falling directly on consumers.
In this way, Brussels seeks to strengthen customs controls in the face of the significant growth in online purchases from countries outside the European Union, especially China.
Specifically, the new fee is intended to offset the costs borne by national authorities to process and supervise shipments, from checking the information provided to risk analyzes and physical inspections when necessary. Those companies that do not comply with European regulations on the sale and purchase of products online and their rates will receive harsh sanctions, as has already happened to Aliexpress, which was fined for the sale of illegal products in Europe.
The new rate of 2 euros is added to the 3-euro tariff in force since July
The new amount that will be charged on packages coming from outside Europe will be independent of the temporary tariff of 3 euros that has been applied since July 1 to items imported in shipments whose value does not exceed 150 euros, after the EU eliminated the exemption that allowed these purchases to be introduced without paying customs duties.
In the case of this last tax, the amount is calculated by product category and not by complete package, so that a shipment with several items of the same customs classification may be subject to a single payment of 3 euros. However, when you include products from different categories, that amount must be paid for each of them.
The transitional system will remain in place until July 2028, when the new European customs data platform for electronic commerce is scheduled to begin operating.
According to data provided by Brussels, in 2025 some 5.9 billion low-value items entered the community market, four times more than in 2022, of which approximately 90% came from China.
Consumers warn that platforms could pass the rate on to buyers
For its part, the European Consumer Organization has welcomed the introduction of this new tax, considering that it will allow more resources to be allocated to detecting dangerous or illegal products.
However, it has also warned of the risk that some platforms end up passing these costs on to buyers during the last phases of the purchasing process, something that would contravene the obligation to inform in advance of the total price.
“Now the priority must be to guarantee that importers pay the fee, not consumers, and that member states use it for the purpose for which it was designed: to truly strengthen customs capacity and protect consumers,” said Agustín Reyna, general director of the organization.
In addition, the reform contemplates sanctions for companies that repeatedly fail to comply with their obligations, with fines that in the most serious cases could reach 6% of the value of the goods imported during the previous year.
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With these measures, the European Union aims to reinforce the responsibility of platforms such as Shein and Temu, which must provide information about the products they market and guarantee that they comply with European safety standards.