If your company ships products directly from Asia to European consumers through e-commerce platforms, that just got more expensive. Starting July 1, 2026, the EU eliminated its long-standing duty-free threshold for low-value cross-border parcels, replacing it with a per-item duty. This isn’t a policy proposal on the horizon. It’s already in effect, and companies are dealing with the actual cost impact right now. This article outlines what changed and what it might mean for Asian sellers using Poland as a European warehousing hub.
What Changed: From Duty-Free to a €3 Per-Item Duty
Previously, cross-border e-commerce parcels valued under €150 generally entered the EU duty-free, a threshold that helped many Asian e-commerce platforms compete on price and grow quickly in the European market. That exemption was formally removed on July 1, and replaced with a flat €3 duty per item, calculated by tariff classification, not by parcel. In practice, this means a single parcel containing two items under different tariff classifications is charged twice, not once.
The policy is largely aimed at addressing the surge in low-value cross-border parcels in recent years, most of which originate from Chinese e-commerce platforms, but the rule itself applies to all non-EU sellers, not any specific country or platform. In other words, this isn’t only a challenge for Chinese platforms. Any Asian seller shipping directly to European consumers falls under the new rule.
Beyond the Duty: A Handling Fee and Bigger Reforms Are Coming
The €3 duty is only the first stage. Based on current announcements, the EU is expected to introduce a separate handling fee for small cross-border parcels no later than November 1, 2026, with the exact amount to be set by the European Commission. Looking further out, a broader overhaul of the EU’s customs system is planned for 2028, at which point low-value parcels are likely to be folded further into standard customs and tax procedures rather than treated under this transitional flat duty.
For companies, this means what’s visible right now isn’t the endpoint. It’s the start of a multi-year adjustment process. Reacting only to the current €3 duty risks having to restructure costs and logistics again down the line. It may make more sense to reassess the overall European operating model at this stage rather than adjusting piecemeal each time a new rule takes effect.
What This Means for Sellers Using Poland as a Warehousing Base
Following the new rule, several industry observers have pointed out that it’s likely to accelerate growth in European contract logistics and warehousing, as companies gain an incentive to shift from shipping each item individually direct to consumers, toward importing in bulk to a European warehouse and fulfilling orders locally from there. This approach effectively folds the duty and handling costs, which used to sit on each individual order, into a broader logistics cost structure that can be planned for rather than absorbed order by order.
Poland’s role as a central European logistics node, covered in an earlier article, becomes even more relevant to discuss in light of this change. For Asian e-commerce companies considering shifting part of their fulfillment model and pre-positioning inventory in Europe, Poland’s warehousing costs and location remain worth evaluating. That said, actual customs and tax treatment varies by product category and import model, so it’s worth confirming exactly how your products will be declared and taxed under the new rule before restructuring logistics around it.
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The EU’s cross-border e-commerce reform isn’t short-term noise. It’s a structural shift that will keep unfolding over the next several years. For Asian sellers relying on direct-to-consumer shipping into Europe, now is a reasonable time to reassess logistics and warehousing strategy, rather than waiting for the larger 2028 reform to force the issue.
If your company is working through how to respond to this change, or wants to explore whether Poland-based warehousing fits your business model, we’d be glad to discuss it with our advisory team.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute formal legal, tax, or investment advice. Regulations should be verified against the latest Polish laws; for an assessment specific to your company, we encourage you to speak with our advisory team directly.