Since 1 July 2026 purchases from China are more costly for a temporary work of EUR 3 per tariff category of goods in a consignment of up to EUR 150. No later than 1 November, there will be an EU handling fee which has not yet been fixed. For Poles this means a higher bill, especially with the cheapest orders.
Three euro changes the price of the inexpensive order
From 1 July 2026, shipments of up to 150 euro imported straight from outside the European Union are subject to a temporary duty. The rate shall be EUR 3 per separate tariff category of goods included in the package. The fresh rules are to apply until 1 July 2028 erstwhile the EU Customs Data Centre is planned to be launched.
It's an crucial distinction. If the package contains respective products belonging to 1 tariff category, the fee is EUR 3. If the goods belong to 2 different categories, the charge increases to EUR 6. The Council of the European Union explains the mechanics on the example of different types of clothing. The cost can so hit peculiarly hard baskets composed of many small, different products.
There will be another charge in November
It's not the end of change. The customs improvement besides agreed on a handling charge for goods sent straight to consumers in the Union. associate States are to start downloading it erstwhile the essential IT strategy has been launched, no later than 1 November 2026. Her final tallness has not yet been given. Therefore, no amounts should be presented as pre-foreseeable.
As of 1 November, PID identifiers are besides to become mandatory, containing the data needed to better control the importer and the goods. The aim is to better capture dangerous products, poorly described or underwritten at check-in. Greater product safety is justified. The problem begins erstwhile Brussels first imposes the cost and then leaves the consumer without simple information on how much he will pay and for what.
The scale of Chinese packages is huge
According to the data cited by the EU Council in 2024, 4.6 billion e-commerce shipments of little than EUR 150 were sent to the Union, of which 91% came from China. In 2025, the number of specified low-value packages increased to 5.8 billion. specified a scale cannot be handled reasonably without automation and control.
Chinese platforms built an advantage on low costs, immense scale and direct supplies. European retailers argue that they must meet more costly standards and bear burdens that any suppliers outside the Union avoided. The work is intended to compensate the conditions of competition and to reduce the inflow of goods not gathering the standards. That's a reasonable goal. However, the taxation itself will not replace quality control or effective enforcement.
Are purchases from China inactive paying off
The answer depends on the value and composition of the basket. With a product worth respective euros, an additional 3 euros can destruct the full price advantage. With a more costly device, the impact of the work will be proportionately reduced. It is besides crucial to send, how the platform settles the fees and the number of tariff categories per package. It is worth checking the full price at the box alternatively of the amount displayed on the first page of the offer.
Polish customers had to number before new acquisition costs on Temu, Shein and AliExpress. Now the bill becomes more complex. tiny orders will lose sense as shortly as possible and any platforms will most likely decision the goods to warehouses in the Union or change the way shipments are grouped.
Market protection cannot be a pretext for fiscalism
Poland has an interest in protecting consumers and native entrepreneurs against unfair competition. There is, on the another hand, no interest in creating another opaque tribute from which Brussels will make a convenient origin of income. Each fee should have a clearly defined operating cost, intent and settlement date.
Free trade does not mean agreeing to circumvent standards. marketplace protection does not mean consent to any mention to a citizen's wallet. Poles request simple rules and effective control of goods, not a maze of fees charged after the decision to purchase. From November it is worth looking at Brussels' hands: consumer safety is to be the result, not the password behind the next account.
Source: Bankier.pl, Council of the European Union, European Commission
Source: Bankier.pl
