Cheap online orders from outside the EU could become considerably more expensive when a new handling fee takes effect on Sunday, 1 November. A €10 parcel containing three product categories can attract €15 in combined duty and handling fees, before VAT. Sellers may pass those costs to shoppers, while the handling fee is non-refundable even when goods are faulty.
The €2 handling fee comes on top of July’s €3 customs duty. As EU Perspectives reported in September, the reform introduced the charge to help finance customs checks. For consumers, the immediate questions are how much reaches the final price and what happens if a purchase goes wrong.
Small purchases face proportionately bigger costs
The fee is charged per customs declaration line, rather than once per parcel. Dutch Customs gives an example containing two shirts, three sweaters, and one hat: three declaration lines generate €6 in handling fees. Several identical products grouped on one line do not each attract a separate charge.
Ireland’s Revenue illustrates the combined cost with a €10 parcel containing a pen, notebook, and key ring. July’s duty adds €9; November’s fee adds another €6. That produces €15 in charges on €10 worth of goods, before VAT. The new fee alone equals 60% of the goods’ value. This example calculates the charges, rather than predicting how much retailers will raise their prices.
We want to help people avoid unexpected costs either at checkout or when the goods are delivered to their doorstep.
— Ray Ryan, Revenue customs official
Businesses handling the imports must pay, but can pass costs on through higher prices. As AFP reported ahead of the change, making platforms legally responsible does not guarantee that shoppers avoid the expense. A fixed charge also weighs more heavily on cheap goods: a €2 fee equals 20% of a €10 product’s value, compared with two per cent of a €100 product, assuming one declaration line and full pass-through.
“We want to help people avoid unexpected costs either at checkout or when the goods are delivered to their doorstep,” Revenue customs official Ray Ryan said. BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, warns that adding charges only at the final purchase stage can breach requirements to disclose the full price upfront.
Non-refundable fees, but consumer rights still apply
Returns create another concern. Revenue says the handling fee is non-refundable, even when goods are faulty or returned. Dutch Customs also lists failed delivery and refusal of a shipment among situations where it retains the fee. That concerns reimbursement by customs; it does not, by itself, establish what a shopper can recover from the seller under consumer law.
The EU’s consumer guidance says EU rules should also cover non-EU online businesses specifically targeting European consumers, although enforcement can be difficult. These protections generally include a 14-day cancellation period, subject to exceptions, and remedies for faulty goods. The Commission’s returns guidance states: “The cost of returning a defective product is the responsibility of the trader.”
BEUC supports the fee because stronger inspections could protect shoppers from dangerous products, but wants governments to direct revenue towards customs capacity.
“The new two-euro handling fee shows policymakers have finally recognised that safe borders require adequate resources to protect consumers from unsafe products reaching their homes,” Director-General Agustín Reyna said in its 26 October statement.
Whether shoppers benefit will depend on better inspections, clear prices, and businesses honouring their obligations when orders go wrong.
