EU's €2 parcel fee disrupts Spain's online shopping
The EU imposes a €2 handling fee on all packages from outside the bloc from November 1, adding to a €3 duty that has already cut small parcel imports by 60%.
A €2 handling fee on all packages entering the European Union will start on 1 November. The fee applies uniformly to online purchases from outside the EU, regardless of a parcel's total value, mode of transport, or any preferential tariff treatment. It covers customs handling costs and is paid per type of goods declared. Three identical T-shirts in one order would attract a single €2 fee, while a basket containing a T-shirt, sandals, and a phone case could incur three separate charges. The fee is settled by the platform, seller, or carrier handling the customs paperwork and is non-refundable.
An EU official stated the rationale clearly: "The logic of the fee is to cover the costs of control, as e-commerce represents a disproportionate cost for our customs authority." The fee will be implemented using specific customs codes and the revenue will be split, with 75% going to the EU budget and 25% retained by member states. It does not apply to shipments within a single EU country or between member states.
Impact on Spanish online shopping
Online shopping in Spain faces immediate disruption from the new charge, which takes effect just weeks before the Black Friday sales period. Spain's Tax Agency began a testing period for the system on 1 October. Shoppers are already adjusting their habits in response, ordering less frequently, comparing prices more carefully, and bunching items into single orders to minimize the cumulative fees.
Existing €3 duty and enforcement
The new €2 fee comes on top of a temporary €3 customs duty on small parcels valued under €150, which was introduced on 1 July and will remain until 2028. This earlier measure has already had a dramatic effect, reducing imports of small parcels by 60% between July and September. The scale of the targeted trade is vast. In 2025, the EU received about 5.9 billion low-value items, with an estimated 16 million such parcels arriving daily.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Daily low-value items entering EU (2025) | 16 million |
| Total low-value items in 2025 | 5.9 billion |
| Share from China (2025) | 93% |
| Share from China (2024) | 91% |
| Current daily parcel volume | 5 million |
| Import drop from €3 duty (Jul-Sep) | 60% |
| Import drop in France since July | 30-40% |
The duty was designed to counter a flood of low-cost imports. An EU official explained, "The logic for the duty is the level playing field: all goods entering the EU should pay the due and justified amount of duty." Combined, the two charges mean each type of item in an order can now carry up to €5 in extra costs.
EU enforcement and platform liability
The European Commission is tightening enforcement, particularly targeting major Chinese online platforms like Temu and Shein. In September, the Commission proposed legislation to crack down on illegal product imports via online marketplaces. It had already fined Temu €200 million in May for issues including dangerous baby toys and faulty chargers, and Brussels is investigating Shein over illegal products such as child-like sex dolls. Under the new fee rules, the platform or seller acting as the declarant is liable for the €2 payment, which may be included in the product price rather than shown as a separate line on a receipt.
With Black Friday approaching, Spanish consumers are planning their purchases strategically, looking to bundle items into fewer parcels to avoid multiple fees.
