The European Union launched one of the biggest changes to online shopping in years on July 1. The new rules were aimed at curbing the influx of extremely cheap shipments from Chinese marketplaces such as Temu, Shein or AliExpress. However, the first days show that Asian platforms have adapted to the new conditions very quickly. Instead of significantly increasing prices, they are increasingly using European warehouses. Thanks to them, some orders reach customers as regular shipments from the European Union, rather than as direct imports from China. Pro For customers, this means that cheap shopping is far from over. It's just that the way goods reach them is changing.
The European Union wanted to stop the flood of cheap packages
The new measure was created in response to a record number of small shipments coming mainly from China. According to the European Commission, around 5,8 billion packages worth up to 150 euros arrived in EU countries last year. In 2022, there were around 1,4 billion of them. According to European authorities, the huge increase in cheap shipments is creating an unequal playing field for European traders. They have to follow stricter rules, pay taxes, deal with complaints, meet safety standards and often also bear significantly higher operating costs. In addition, some goods from Asian markets have long been controversial due to suspicions of counterfeiting, missing certification or products that do not meet European standards. The new duty is therefore not just a way to collect more money. The main goal is to slow down the influx of extremely cheap goods and create a fairer environment for European sellers.
The biggest change will be felt by customers who order multiple different types of goods directly from China. The new fee is not to be calculated for the entire package, but for each type of goods separately. So if someone orders, for example, a T-shirt, a phone case and wireless headphones, the fee will be calculated three times. In addition, VAT is also added to the duty. As a result, for cheap orders, theoneThe price of the item can increase by tens of percent and in some cases even more than twice. Small orders for a few tens or hundreds of crowns may be the most affected by the new rules. For more expensive purchases, the fixed fee will be diluted in the total price, but for small items it can form a significant part of theonefinancial amounts.
Pro The method of collecting these fees may also be an unpleasant surprise for many people. They may not always appear directly in the basket when ordering. In practice, it may happen that the customer pays the original price in the e-shop, but the carrier will ask for the additional payment before delivery or when the shipment is handed over. Moreover, the decisive factor is not only the date of the order, but also the moment when the shipment passes customs. So if the customer ordered the goods before the beginning of July, but the package arrived at customs only after the new rules were launched, he may still not be able to avoid the new fee.
You might be interested in
Temu found its way through European warehouses
This is where the strategy that Chinese platforms have been preparing for for several months comes in. Temu has increasingly started to offer products that are not shipped directly from China, but from European logistics centers. So instead of waiting for a shipment from Asia for several weeks, the customer receives a package from, for example, Germany, Franceancie, the Netherlands, Spain or Italy. At first glance, it may seem that it is mainly about faster transport. In reality, however, the difference is much more fundamental. Once the goods are already in the European Union, they do not arrive at the customer as an import from a third country. They do not therefore go through the same customs process as a package flying directly from China and the customer usually does not have to deal with additional surcharges upon delivery. However, this does not mean that customs duties have completely disappeared. The costs associated with imports are simply shifted elsewhere. Instead of the customer seeing them as a separate fee from the carrier, they may already be included directly in the price of the goods.
It is also important to distinguish between where the goods are shipped from and where they were actually manufactured. Information about a European warehouse does not mean that it is a European product. It only means that the product has already been imported into the European Union before and is now in one of the local warehouses. Pro However, for the customer, this difference is fundamental in practice. Ordering from a European warehouse is usually faster, without additional customs clearance on the recipient's side and without unpleasant surprises upon delivery. This is precisely why people may start to search for similar offers specifically.
Many users have already noticed that an increasing number of products on Temu are showing information about shipping from a European warehouse. Some orders also promise delivery within two working days, which was previouslyonelong ago practically unthinkable in Chinese markets. It is the European warehouses that will likely become Temu's main weapon against the new European Union rules. If the majority of orders are shipped directly from Europe, the impact of the new tariff on customers will be significantly less than originally expected.
You might be interested in
European authorities will monitor platforms' tactics
But that doesn't mean the Chinese platforms have won. Customs officials don't just want to monitor individual packages, but also the business tactics of large platforms. European authorities will investigate whether new logistics models comply with the rules or whether they are just a way to avoid new fees. It can therefore be expected that the current rules may not be applicableoneIf it turns out that European warehouses only weaken the effect of the new measure, the European Union may come up with further adjustments. The fight against cheap Chinese markets is probably not over, but is only just beginning.
Although the new tariff was supposed to significantly reduce the convenience of shopping on Temu, Shein, or AliExpress, initial developments suggest that the reality will be more complicated. Chinese platforms are investing in European warehouses, speeding up logistics, and trying to hide most of the additional costs directly in the prices of goods. Pro For the average customer, this means only one thing. If they choose products shipped from European warehouses, they may hardly notice the change. On the other hand, people ordering directly from China may now pay significantly more for cheaper purchases than before. The European Union has taken the first step to limit cheap shipments from China, but Temu and other platforms are showing that they can adapt very quickly. Therefore, cheap purchases are not ending. They are just moving closer to the European customer.
This is not a new tactic, but Temu has been offering this for several years and that is why it has become so popular. Alík and Shein do the same. Thanks to this, they manage to deliver packages even within a week.
Novinky.cz wrote that column with a reaction to the new tariffs today, and you are stupidly copying them.
I shop at Czech e-shops (trusted ones) and try to avoid e-shops that are just raiding goods from these markets. I don't need to buy every piece of crap just because it's cheap.
Just watch the video from Geekboy.
I shop at Czech e-shops (trusted ones) and try to avoid e-shops that just resell goods from these marketplaces. I don't need to buy every piece of crap just because it's cheap.
Just watch the video from Geekboy.