EU to Impose Duties on Cheap Chinese Goods from Temu, Shein and AliExpress

The EU is set to implement customs duties on inexpensive goods purchased from China’s online retailers such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday, which cited three individuals familiar with the matter.

Later this month, the European Commission is expected to propose eliminating the current threshold of 150 euros ($161) under which items can be bought duty-free. Presently, EU regulations exempt packages purchased online from non-EU countries from customs duties if their value is below 150 euros.

In 2023, two billion parcels with a declared value of less than 150 euros arrived in the EU from non-EU countries, straining the customs system, according to the European Commission. “The sheer volume of eCommerce is testing customs’ limits,” the Commission stated.

Related: Temu Files Lawsuit Against Shein Over Antitrust Violations

The proposal to abolish the duty-free limit is part of a broader customs reform project that the Commission introduced in May 2023. The surge of low-cost imports has prompted the EU to expedite the adoption of these reforms, as reported by Reuters.

“We are fully supportive of efforts by lawmakers to reform the de minimis provision,” a spokesperson for Shein commented. Alibaba, the parent company of AliExpress, along with Temu and the European Union, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.