EU charges a €3 customs fee per item on orders under €150 from July 1, 2026

Since July 1, 2026, carriers collect the fee on eligible orders shipped into the EU from outside it, and France suspended its separate €2 fee before Etsy began charging it.

Alura News

From July 1, 2026, the EU charges a €3 customs fee on low-value imports, under Council Regulation 2026/382. Etsy told sellers on June 25, 2026 that the fee applies when all three of these are true:

  • the order ships to an EU country
  • the order ships from outside the EU
  • the items total under €150, not counting shipping

The fee is €3 "per unique item per package". Etsy says it is charged "once per unique listing in an order, even if a buyer purchases multiple quantities of the same item."

The same post said Etsy would add France's €2 import fee, plus VAT, at checkout on similar orders to France. On June 30, 2026, Etsy posted an update: "France suspended the €2 import fee," and "Etsy will no longer begin charging this fee." Orders to France still carry the EU's €3 fee, because France is part of the EU.

Who it affects

The fee applies to sellers who ship into the EU from outside it. Orders that ship from inside the EU aren't affected. For packages over €150, Etsy's Help Center says VAT and customs duty are assessed when the package enters the EU.

What it costs

Etsy said it isn't collecting the €3 at checkout. It said the fee is expected to be collected "at label creation or, in some cases, from the buyer upon delivery." Many carriers are expected to require payment upfront when you buy the label, which is Delivered Duty Paid (DDP). In that case the fee comes out of your money unless your prices or shipping rates cover it.

Example: a US seller ships one order to Germany. The buyer bought two copies of one print at €20 each and one mug at €25, with €12 shipping. The items total €65, under €150, so the fee applies. The order has 2 unique listings, so the fee is 2 × €3 = €6. That is about 9.2% of the €65 item value. If the buyer had chosen a second, different print in place of the second copy, the order would have 3 unique listings and a €9 fee.

What to do

  • Ask your carrier how it charges the €3: at label purchase, or from the buyer on delivery. Etsy advised checking with your carrier before July 1, and said not all carriers might be ready to ship to the EU on day one.
  • Review your EU shipping rates and prices for orders under €150, especially orders with several different items.
  • If buyers in France ask, Etsy says it will no longer begin charging the €2 French fee.

What we don't know yet

Etsy said it "isn't currently collecting" the EU fee at checkout and that carriers were "still determining how to apply the fee across different trade lanes". It hasn't said whether it will start collecting at checkout later. On France, Etsy says it will keep monitoring and share updates. It hasn't said what it would do if France brings the €2 fee back.

Sources

Related articles