The EU's new 3 euro customs duty, and what it actually costs you

On 1 July 2026 the European Union removed the customs duty relief that had applied to consignments worth up to 150 euro. In its place there is now a temporary flat customs duty of 3 euro, and it runs until 1 July 2028.

The change itself is simple. How the charge is counted is not, and it is the part most coverage has got wrong.

The bit that is being reported incorrectly

The duty is applied per declared goods line, by tariff classification. It is not applied per physical item, and it is not applied once per parcel.

That distinction decides what an order costs. Five of the same part travel on one goods line and attract the charge once. Five different part types are five goods lines and attract it five times.

There is a further wrinkle worth knowing. The number of goods lines can also depend on the customs declaration type used for the consignment, and an order that is split across more than one consignment is declared separately. So the same basket can produce a different charge depending on how it physically ships.

What it means for the way you order

• Buying several of the same part is efficient. A set of four identical bushes is one goods line, so the duty is charged once for the set rather than four times.
• A mixed basket costs more in duty than the same parts bought as sets. That is a fact about the rule, not a reason to buy things you do not need.
• Value still matters. The flat charge applies to consignments with an intrinsic value up to 150 euro. Above that, the normal duty rates for the commodity code apply instead.
• A split shipment can be declared twice. Parts are drawn from several locations across our network, so an order with several lines can travel in more than one consignment.

Import VAT is a separate charge

The 3 euro is customs duty. Import VAT is charged on top, at your own country's rate, and it is calculated on the value of the goods plus the freight and the duty. The two are often lumped together in reporting, which makes the total look smaller than it is.

A carrier may also add its own clearance or handling fee where charges are collected on arrival. That is the carrier's charge, not a tax.

What our checkout does about it

The delivery cost and any import charges that apply to your destination are shown before you confirm the order. That screen is where the landed cost of a basket is stated, and it governs.

Two arrangements exist and the checkout tells you which one applies to your address. Either the charges are calculated and collected with your order, in which case nothing further is payable to the carrier, or they are collected on arrival by the carrier or the customs authority. We do not promise duty-paid delivery to every country, because some destinations do not permit it and a promise we cannot keep ends up as a bill on somebody's doorstep.

Where we do collect it, we remit it and we add no margin to it. The full position by destination is on the Shipping and Delivery page.

Declarations, and why an honest one is in your interest

Every consignment leaves us with the correct commodity code, an honest description and the real value. We do not declare parts as gifts and we do not undervalue them, whatever the request and however it is worded.

The reason is practical rather than moral. An incorrect declaration exposes the recipient to a penalty, it can get the parcel seized, and it turns a routine clearance into a hold that nobody can shorten. A correct declaration is also what makes the flat 3 euro charge apply cleanly rather than becoming an argument about classification.

If a carrier asks you for a payment you did not expect

Do not pay it without checking. Photograph the notice, send it to us with your order number, and we will compare it against the declaration that travelled with your parcel before you do anything. Occasionally a consignment is misclassified in transit, and that is fixable.

What we cannot do is instruct another country's customs authority or shorten its queue. What we can do is give them whatever document they are asking for, quickly. Our page on tracking and what each carrier status means covers the rest of that process.

Where this goes next

The flat charge is temporary by design and expires on 1 July 2028, when the normal duty rules for each commodity code are expected to apply to low value consignments as well. Rules, rates and clearance procedures also change between an order being placed and a parcel arriving, and the position at import is always the one that applies.

If a charge on one of your orders does not look right, send us the order number and the notice. We would rather check it than have you pay something you did not owe.