EU duty has significantly reduced the flow of cheap parcels from China
The number of cheap parcels entering the European Union has fallen by about 30-40% after the introduction of a new EU duty. The bulk of such shipments come from China via marketplaces Temu, AliExpress, Shein and other platforms.
Such data from French customs was released by the French Ministry of Economy. A noticeable decline began after July 1, when new rules for low-value goods ordered directly from countries outside the bloc came into force in the European Union.
From July 1, goods in parcels worth up to €150 no longer benefit from the previous duty exemption. Instead, a temporary flat duty of €3 for each separate product category in the parcel applies. That is, if one shipment contains goods belonging to several customs categories, the total fee may exceed €3.
The new regime is common for imports from all non-EU countries, but it most affects Chinese e-commerce. It was small direct shipments that allowed platforms such as Temu, AliExpress and Shein to sell goods in Europe at very low prices.
Temu and AliExpress sales have plummeted
The first changes are also visible in consumer behaviour. French fintech company Joko analysed bank transactions of about 1.5 million consumers and compared purchases in June and July.
According to its data, the number of goods sold on Temu decreased by about 50%, on DHgate by 43%, and on AliExpress by 37%. Shein was less affected: sales volume in units decreased by about 15%.
At the same time, the structure of orders has changed. The average order value on Temu increased by about 30%, and on AliExpress by 27%. This may indicate that buyers began to place very small orders less often and are trying to combine more goods into one purchase to reduce the relative impact of the new duty.
Shein proved to be less dependent on direct import of small parcels, in particular thanks to the development of warehousing infrastructure within the EU. At the end of 2025, the company opened a large logistics centre in Poland, which allows part of the orders to be sent to buyers from within the European Union.
Why the EU introduced the duty
European authorities explained the reform by a sharp increase in e-commerce. In 2025, about 5.9 billion goods in low-value shipments entered the EU—over 16 million per day.
Brussels believes that the old duty exemption created a competitive advantage for sellers from outside the EU and at the same time made it more difficult to control the safety and compliance of billions of cheap goods with European standards.
The €3 duty is supposed to act as a temporary mechanism until July 1, 2028. After the launch of the new EU customs system, goods are expected to switch to normal customs tariffs depending on their category.
For buyers, the new rules mean that the model of frequent orders of individual cheap goods from Chinese platforms is becoming less advantageous. Early data after the introduction of the duty show that consumers have already begun to reduce the number of such purchases and increase the average order size.
Based on materials from: Ministry of Economy and Finance of France, Council of the European Union, MacGeneration
