After small parcels, the European Union generalizes its taxes against the flood of Chinese imports

The European Union is taking advantage of Halloween to tackle one of its biggest nightmares: the avalanche of products purchased online which is overwhelming it, particularly from China. From this Sunday, November 1, a “handling fee” of two euros is imposed on packages imported from a non-EU country as part of “distance sales”.

The tax applies to each category of products contained in the same package, linked to the way they are declared to customs. Concretely, if a package only contains caps, it is taxed at two euros, regardless of their number, and even if they are of different brands. On the other hand, if it includes t-shirts and pants in addition to caps, each of these three categories is taxed, and the costs therefore increase to six euros.

Shein, Temu, AliExpress… Who will pay and how much with the tax on small packages which arrives this Sunday?

This is the same method of calculation as the three-euro tax on “small parcels” – that is to say orders of less than 150 euros – already applied since July. The two taxes will be combined until July 2028, when that specific to small parcels will disappear. On this date, however, additional charges will apply to packages transiting through specialized warehouses. As for the general tax of two euros, its amount may be reviewed every two years to follow the evolution of the cost of customs checks.

If European legislation specifies that these costs are due to the platforms or sellers, nothing prevents the latter from charging them to consumers when ordering. On the other hand, they cannot be claimed from buyers afterwards by postal services or delivery companies.

Small parcel tax appears to be effective

All these taxes aim to finance a strengthening of customs controls and fight against the surge of imported products, particularly Chinese. Nearly 5.9 billion small parcels entered the EU in 2025, or 180 every second, a figure quadrupling in three years. And among this avalanche of imports, 93% came from China, and in particular from its online sales giants like Temu, AliExpress or Shein.

A mass phenomenon which widens the European deficit and which makes it impossible to control all parcels, allowing dangerous and counterfeit products to enter. Threatened by what they denounce as unfair competition, traders and industrialists from EU member countries, led by France, have urged the EU authorities to act.

And the measure seems to have potential: the tax on “small parcels” has already made it possible to reduce the flow of these by 64% since July, even if the European authorities warn that it is too early to draw conclusions. In France, where an equivalent national measure had not had the expected effects before the European generalization, the government welcomed on Wednesday a 48% drop in small parcels between June and August, in the amount of VAT declared.

Machine-translated from French