Cheap Chinese parcels to the Netherlands fall 46% after EU levy

Cheap parcels from China to the Netherlands experienced a 46% decline in July and August compared to the previous six months, according to customs data presented to parliament. This shift marks the first clear impact of a new €3 import charge, as revealed by junior finance minister Eelco Eerenberg during a parliamentary debate. Prior to the change, approximately one million such parcels arrived daily in the Netherlands, with the majority coming from Chinese online platforms like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.

Following July 1, a new EU-wide €3 charge was applied to parcels valued at up to €150 originating outside the bloc, previously exempt from import duties. Customs officials note that retailers are adapting by shifting from sending countless individual packages to importing goods in bulk to EU warehouses before shipping them to customers.

This change also benefits customs officials, as larger shipments are easier to screen for safety compared to constant streams of separate parcels. The Dutch customs service collected around €134 million in import duties in July alone, with about a quarter of the revenue going to the Dutch treasury. The Dutch government had initially planned to impose its own surcharge on cheap parcels but abandoned the idea in favor of relying on the EU charge after France and Belgium canceled similar schemes.