EU Adds a 2-Euro Charge on Temu and Shein Parcels: It Doesn't Apply to Buyers in Macedonia, at Least for Now

Since 1 November the European Union has been charging a new two-euro handling fee on parcels arriving from outside the bloc. It comes on top of the temporary three-euro customs duty introduced on 1 July for parcels under 150 euros. The measure is aimed squarely at Temu, Shein and AliExpress, although the rules aren't limited to Chinese companies.

The two charges have different goals. The duty is meant to level the field with retailers who import the normal way, and the fee to cover the cost of checks. The logic is clear and stated openly: e-commerce is a disproportionately large cost for the Union's customs administrations.

A small order isn't small any more

The EU Council cites two euros per item, and the duty is charged per type of goods, so the number climbs fast. In one example, a buyer ordering a T-shirt, a wallet, headphones and a water bottle in a single parcel pays 12 euros in duty and another eight euros in the new fee, before VAT. At 20 euros in charges, the buyer may just remember why they once shopped at a local store.

Officially the obligation falls on the platforms, sellers and carriers, and whether they pass the cost on to the buyer depends on their pricing policy. The numbers show Brussels knows what it's doing: according to the European Commission, the three-euro duty alone cut the number of small parcels by 60 percent between July and September. Even so, around five million parcels still enter the Union every day, and in 2024, 91 percent of these shipments came from China.

Of the money collected, 75 percent goes to the EU budget and 25 percent stays with member states. The three-euro duty is temporary and should run until 2028, when a new IT system for customs procedures is expected.

And here?

For buyers in Macedonia this decision does not, on its own, mean a new charge. Macedonia isn't a member, domestic customs and tax rules apply, and nothing in the measure suggests that all Temu orders to Macedonia get more expensive from today. The Union counts its parcels, measures its costs and protects its trade. Is anyone here even counting ours?