The EU just fired a shot across the bow at Shein and Temu

"European Union finance ministers have agreed to impose customs duties on low-value parcels entering the bloc at some point next year, scrapping the long-standing "de minimis" exemption for goods under €150 (or $175). The move is seen as a way to slow the flood of cheap Chinese imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu. These goods now account for the bulk of the EU's 4.6 billion small parcels a year, more than 90% of which came from China."

"Because companies like Shein and Temu depend on shipping huge volumes of low-value parcels directly from Chinese warehouses to consumers, they will be hit hardest by the EU's change. "It's difficult to see how they will find an easy way around it-although given it's coming on the heels of the U.S. doing similar, I'm sure they are already working on that," says e-commerce expert Ben Graham."

""The removal of de minimis rules is reshaping global e-commerce," says Ronald Kleijwegt, CEO at logistics platform Vinturas. "EU exporters now face tariffs on low-value items, extra customs paperwork, and higher shipping costs when selling to the U.S.""

The European Union will remove the de minimis exemption for low-value parcels under €150 and impose customs duties on such imports next year. The change targets a surge of cheap Chinese goods sent directly to consumers, which account for most of the EU's 4.6 billion small parcels annually and over 90% of those from China. The move follows a similar U.S. decision and is expected to hit high-volume low-cost platforms hardest. The shift may boost competitiveness across channels but could also increase costs and paperwork for exporters and small businesses on both sides.

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