What's changing exactly
Until now, imports into the EU valued below €150 were exempt from customs duties (not from VAT, which has been managed via IOSS since 2021). This exemption was one of the levers that allowed platforms like Shein, Temu and AliExpress to flood the European market with small parcels arriving directly from China.
The European Commission has proposed removing this €150 threshold as part of the Customs Code reform, alongside a "single EU customs hub" and an administrative fee per parcel for shipments from non-EU platforms. The timeline is gradual but the direction is clear: small parcels shipped "direct from China" lose their fiscal edge.
Why it affects you even if you don't import directly
If you think this is only a problem for Asian marketplaces, think again. The change affects your ecommerce in three ways:
- Higher costs for those who import stock. If your model is to import from China to store and serve in Spain, you'll pay duty on the total, not just VAT. That hits your margin directly.
- More time in customs. When the exemption is removed, customs will formally process every parcel. The immediate consequence is congestion and delays of several days on batches that used to clear in hours.
- Competitive shift. Cheap marketplaces lose their shortcut. This reopens the door to national ecommerce with local stock that can promise reliable 24/48h delivery without customs surprises.
🔑 Key takeaway
- The end of the exemption doesn't raise the cost of your product if you already had stock imported and cleared.
- It does raise the cost and slow down the "order from China when the customer buys" model.
- It rewards ecommerce that holds local stock and manages it nimbly.
What to do now if you sell in Europe
1. Review your sourcing model
If your ecommerce still relies on dropshipping from Asia, now is the time to calculate what the change will really cost. The question isn't only "will I pay duty?" but "will I still be able to compete on delivery time?".
2. Import in batches and nationalise stock in the EU
Importing a full container or pallet and clearing stock into the EU lets you:
- Pay duty once on the total, not per parcel.
- Serve the end customer in 24–48h, not 15–25 days.
- Remove dependency on customs for every order.
3. Outsource warehousing and fulfillment
Keeping your own warehouse for small parcel operations rarely pays off unless volumes are very high. A logistics operator specialised in ecommerce lets you scale without investing in square metres or staff, and start shipping orders within days.
4. Communicate real delivery times
As soon as the reform takes effect, the delivery times of "direct from China" competitors will visibly stretch. Lean on that in your value proposition: 24/48h delivery, no customs surprises, easy returns.
The role of the logistics operator
When you import and clear stock, the whole flow changes: receive the container, unload, label, store, integrate with the online store and start preparing orders within hours. An operator used to this flow —not just to "keeping boxes"— prevents weeks of friction when you start and gives you capacity to scale during peaks (Black Friday, Christmas, sales) without the warehouse clogging up.
At SPO Logistics we work with brands that import from Italy, France, Portugal and Asia, and we build their end-to-end fulfillment operation in Spain: from the first container intake to the final delivery to the customer with real-time tracking.
Does your supply chain rely on shipments direct from China?
If you're worried about how the end of the customs exemption will affect you, let's talk. We work through the impact with you and design the operation so you keep delivering in 24/48h.
Contact SPO Logistics