Key takeaway
What This Development Means
The EU's low-value e-commerce reforms remove the EUR 150 customs duty relief and introduce a temporary EUR 3 duty for many small imports. The wider reform points towards platform and seller liability from 2028, with customs controls, product safety and market surveillance increasingly treated as one compliance system.
What changed for EU low-value e-commerce imports on 1 July 2026?
The EU removed the long-standing customs duty relief for many goods valued at up to EUR 150 and introduced a temporary EUR 3 customs duty for eligible low-value imports. The measure is intended to run until the wider customs reform system is operational.
Why does platform liability matter for product compliance?
Platform liability would make online marketplaces and sellers responsible for customs obligations on many imported goods. That connects marketplace operations with product compliance, traceability, declaration accuracy and market surveillance expectations.
Source basis: European Parliament, Answer to written question E-10-2026-001418-ASW
The EU e-commerce crackdown entered a new phase on 1 July 2026, with the removal of the long-standing EUR 150 customs duty relief for many low-value imports and the introduction of a temporary EUR 3 customs duty for eligible e-commerce goods.
The measures sit within the EU's wider customs reform agenda. They are also linked to plans for stronger online platform and seller liability from 1 July 2028, alongside more active market surveillance and future product safety legislation.
New Customs Rules Reshape Low-Value E-Commerce
Until 30 June 2026, goods valued at up to EUR 150 generally benefited from customs duty relief when imported into the EU. That treatment has now changed for many low-value consignments.
The temporary EUR 3 duty is intended to run until 1 July 2028, when the EU Customs Data Hub is expected to become operational and standard tariff treatment can apply. The reform responds to rapid growth in cross-border online shopping and pressure on customs authorities.
For businesses, the change is more than a tax update. Customs classification, import declarations, VAT arrangements, product documentation and seller data quality are becoming harder to separate.
Platform Liability And Market Surveillance
The larger compliance shift is expected in 2028. Under the EU Customs Reform package, online platforms and sellers would become responsible for financial and non-financial customs liabilities for many imported goods.
That would move responsibility closer to the marketplace infrastructure that enables cross-border sales. Platforms may need stronger controls over seller onboarding, product data, declaration accuracy, restricted goods and supply chain traceability.
The Commission has also linked customs reform with stronger product safety oversight for online sales. Categories such as toys, cosmetics, electronics, food supplements, PPE and regulated chemical products are likely to remain a focus for enforcement.
What Businesses Should Do Now
The reforms affect more than online retailers. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, fulfilment providers, customs brokers, logistics companies and digital marketplaces should review:
- Customs declaration processes
- Product compliance documentation
- Supply chain traceability
- Marketplace responsibilities
- Product safety and surveillance obligations
Businesses selling chemicals, consumer products, electronics, PPE or other regulated goods should also monitor the development of the European Product Act. It is expected to complement the strengthened customs and marketplace regime.
Summary
The EU e-commerce crackdown marks a major shift in how low-value imports are regulated. With new customs duties already in force and platform liability expected from 2028, customs compliance, product safety and marketplace accountability are converging into one regulatory framework for cross-border online trade.
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