Additional €2 charge on Chinese online orders to apply from November 1

Nicosia, Cyprus. Consumers in Cyprus and elsewhere in Europe buying through platforms including Temu, Shein and AliExpress will face an extra €2 tariff from November 1, alongside the €3 levy already applied to goods ordered from China. The charge applies to each product category within an order.

Changes to parcel charges

The measure follows a European Commission decision revising the duty exemption previously available for low-value parcels. It targets competition from China and online marketplaces offering thousands of very inexpensive products.

According to the Cyprus customs department, the €2 fee is intended to meet customs service costs associated with processing and monitoring, data handling, risk assessments and inspections of goods delivered directly to consumers.

Responsibility for collecting the fee rests with whichever platform, seller, carrier or representative undertakes to file the declaration.

The EU regulation appeared in the official gazette on September 19, with most provisions taking effect on September 21. The customs department described it as among the most significant changes to the customs framework in recent decades.

Orders decline as declared shipment values rise

Figures published by France’s finance ministry showed that the €3 duty, collected at purchase and introduced across the EU on July 1, reduced orders by as much as 40 per cent. At the same time, shipments’ average declared value increased by about 30 per cent, rising from €8.82 to €11.47.

The ministry’s figures indicated a sharp fall in parcel numbers without a corresponding decline in demand. They suggested that the levy had changed consumers’ shopping methods rather than the products they purchased.

European warehouses offer another route

Chinese e-commerce platforms also operate European warehouses, allowing them to supply customers from inside the EU and thereby avoid the charge.

The companies continue to incur VAT, import duties, storage costs and distribution expenses. However, this approach substantially reduces the expense of dispatching small parcels separately.