I'm quite amazed at the amount of hate in this thread. They were using a tax loophole to do fiscal optimization and anti competitive practice, now they won't be able to. All this ultra liberalism is really ridiculous.
this post was submitted on 21 May 2025
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This is the best news all year.
Any low cost item, though?
What about my 20ct LEDs? Or the 2.50 ESP32?
That's a sacrifice I'm willing to accept if it slows down people buying stuff mindlessly. Your 20ct LEDs delivery is being subsidised by European post services. Now it won't.
Absolutely! I also love access to small, cheap electronic bits for my projects, and at the same time Iโm all for protecting our postal services. A 2โฌ per package surcharge doesnโt practically change anything on the economy side. Temu already expects a minimum purchase of something like 20โฌ.
My small concern with this is how it will be applied/processed by the carriers. I hope it doesnโt end up like the customs/VAT on larger packages, where they charge 10-20โฌ for customs clearance. But now that I write it down, for me, even that isnโt a complete blocking factor. Iโd probably spend more time comparing the value of ordering direct vs from a local reseller, which is exactly the goal.
It's per-package. As long as you order multiple at once, you're good.
How is โper packageโ defined? Per shipper? Per order? Per seller? How about one shipment that includes items for multiple people that are split in a local warehouse and resend?
I'd assume it's per physical package entering the EU. The chinese sellers have been sending many small packages to go below tax limits, so they'll probably have to change strategy.
I guess that depends on the country. In Germany it is the opposite, because the limit is 0โฌ, so they send them in big โpackagesโ (actually one container at a time) and distribute it in their own distribution center from inside the country.
All of my recent Aliexpress purchases have come from the Netherlands, I assume there's some big distribution center there
No it just mean more taxes, instead of increasing the EU production.
Trump bottled this.
Well done EU.
I was wondering how they were going to protect intermediaries from the growth of desintermediation platforms were consumers buy things from the factories or just the next link on the chain down from that.
Because intermediaries are the ones making lots of money importing the same stuff as people are now buying direct, putting a label on it, and selling it locally for at least 3x the price and their business model is threatened by consumers buying directly from the places were all the factories are.
Mind you, I'm all for less stuff being made in China and more in Europe, I just don't think the Commission is doing this for that reason, since historically they tend to do what's best for "business" and a lot of "business" in Europe is just being a brand for junk made in China or some other non-European country with cheap labour.
Keep in mind: If you order a device directly from China, you become the importer of that device. This includes liability, e.g. for damage caused by a faulty product.
That's what business insurance is for.
Its cost per-item is well below the price markup.
The importer into the EU is liable. They may have an insurance for covering the claims. But usually private individuals ordering directly from wish, temu, ali express, ... don't have that insurance.
And the importer gets business insurance to cover it which is what one should get if importing to resell to others.
Yes. If you buy from a commercial importer, that company is liable. But, as I said, if a private individual buys directly from China, that person is liable for the damages done due to a faulty product. So as a private individual you'd need that insurance, not only if you decide to resell the product. If your usb charger from AliExpress bursts into flames and burns down your house, harming your neighbour you are liable. If you bought it from an importer, the importer would be liable.
Makes sense. Same as you're liable if you use a candle and it catches something on fire or forget a water tap open during the day and it overflows flooding your appartment and the one of your neighbour below.
By yeah, it's a valid point.
Yes. I don't know if importing products from abroad is covered by the usual private liability insurances.