The variety of low-cost ecommerce parcels that the European Union obtained from outdoors the Union rose sharply once more final yr, rising by 26 %. In whole, 5.8 billion parcels with a worth of as much as 150 euros have been imported. That quantities to roughly one parcel per EU citizen per 30 days.
The quantity of worldwide ecommerce parcels containing comparatively low-priced merchandise has been rising for years and is a thorn in Brussels’ aspect. Most of those parcels come from China, pushed by purchases made by European customers on platforms equivalent to AliExpress, Shein and Temu. These platforms have skilled years of explosive progress, though their progress charge has lately slowed considerably.
Mountain of Chinese language parcels
The full variety of parcels coming into the European Union was 26 % increased final yr than in 2024, in response to the European Fee. The amount is greater than 4 occasions increased than in 2022. Customs authorities in EU member states are struggling to examine the contents of those parcels. In apply, this usually proves unimaginable, permitting unsafe merchandise to flood the market. Along with the chance of hurt to customers, this creates unfair competitors for European corporations. The Fee beforehand estimated that round two-thirds of small parcels coming into the EU have been undervalued to keep away from customs duties, Reuters notes.
Worldwide parcel quantity quadrupled in three years
Lately, the European Union has taken a number of steps to curb the stream of parcels, notably from China. It determined to part out the VAT exemption for worldwide shippers extra rapidly and to introduce a set price of three euros per product from July. Individually, work is beneath means on a European dealing with price, which is anticipated later this yr.Â
Native warehouses
AliExpress, Shein and Temu, in addition to JD.com, are constructing warehouses on the European continent. This isn’t solely meant to bypass import tariffs, but in addition to allow quicker supply to customers, combining low costs with velocity. Temu, which rivals Amazon in world cross-border gross sales, for instance goals to realize 80 % native transport in Europe, partly because of the rising variety of European promoting companions.
