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Temu, Shein, AliExpress: How the 3-euro 'tax' is changing online shopping
🇬🇷 Greece /Economy & Trade

Temu, Shein, AliExpress: How the 3-euro 'tax' is changing online shopping

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A new pan-European measure, effective July 1, imposes a fixed 3-euro charge per package from China, impacting online platforms like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress.
  • The measure aims to address the overwhelming volume of imports, estimated at six billion packages in 2025, which made effective customs control nearly impossible.
  • Consumers are responding by reducing the number of separate orders and opting for larger purchases per package to avoid multiple charges, while platforms are establishing EU warehouses to bypass the fee.

A new 3-euro charge per package originating from China is reshaping the landscape of online shopping, significantly affecting popular platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. This pan-European measure, implemented on July 1, imposes a fixed fee on each shipment, a move designed to manage the immense volume of cross-border e-commerce.

It is a pan-European effort that started on July 1, applying this three-euro charge we speak of to every online transaction, meaning buying through online platforms mostly from China for essential goods.

— Stelios NomikosExplaining the scope and implementation of the new 3-euro charge.

Tax expert Stelios Nomikos explained that the measure was introduced in response to the staggering number of imports. In 2025 alone, an estimated six billion packages entered the EU, overwhelming customs authorities and making thorough physical inspections practically unfeasible. The new charge aims to streamline processes and potentially increase revenue from these high-volume imports.

We do not yet have reliable, secure data because, as a simple example, some goods were purchased in June but costed in July, meaning the three-euro charge was applied. So, we don't have good statistical value on whether the measure was effective.

— Stelios NomikosHighlighting the difficulty in assessing the immediate impact of the new charge due to timing discrepancies.

While it's still early to draw definitive conclusions, initial observations suggest a shift in consumer behavior. Shoppers are consolidating their purchases, ordering fewer, larger packages to circumvent the per-package fee. This strategy aims to mitigate the impact of the 3-euro charge on individual transactions.

Because when you order in June, you order more, more packages, since there is no three-euro charge, whereas now from July 1, consumers order fewer packages to avoid paying the three euros, but with much larger quantities.

— Stelios NomikosDescribing the observed change in consumer ordering behavior since the implementation of the charge.

In response, major Chinese e-commerce platforms are adapting by investing in logistics and establishing warehouses within the European Union. By shifting goods to EU-based warehouses, shipments become intra-EU transactions, thereby bypassing the new import charge. Some platforms are also offering discounts and free shipping to absorb part of the cost and retain customers amidst these changes.

The three euros are applied to every arrival from China on European territory that is cleared through customs; you pay duties, fees, VAT.

— Stelios NomikosClarifying how the 3-euro charge is applied during the customs process.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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