Europe imposed a temporary €3 customs duty per item or per tariff classification in a shipment on parcels under €150 from non-EU countries, mainly China. This ends the previous de minimis duty-free exemption for low-value imports. It targets platforms like $PDD(PDD.US) Temu, Shein, and AliExpress, which rely on direct-from-China shipping for ultra-cheap goods.

Negative for European growth and margins. Platforms may pass on costs or absorb them, raising consumer prices. This likely reduces volumes (air cargo forecasts down 10–35%), disrupting the low-price model. Shein is expanding EU warehouses and bulk shipping as mitigation, while Temu faces similar pressures. This adds to existing regulatory scrutiny.

The broader context is that all these policies were aimed at curbing unfair competition with EU retailers and controlling import surges. Similar moves were also made in the US.

@Captain's Treasure