Temu and Shein orders drop in the Netherlands after EU tax

People in the Netherlands are buying items from Chinese webshops, such as Temu and Shein, less often because of the 3-euro levy the EU introduced in July. 

EU tax reduces e-commerce parcel numbers in the Netherlands

Based on an RTL Nieuws survey, 46 percent of residents in the Netherlands order goods from Chinese webshops, such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress, less often since the introduction of the EU tax on e-commerce parcels, reports NL Times.

Since July 1, 2026, a customs duty applies to packages valued at up to 150 euros that enter the EU from outside the bloc. Customers are charged 3 euros per item type; so if a parcel contains a t-shirt and two pairs of shoes, the levy would be 6 euros. 

The EU introduced the tax in hopes of reducing the number of incoming packages from online stores, especially those in China. The Netherlands was set to introduce its own separate surcharge on non-EU packages, but scrapped these plans earlier this year.

1 in 5 Dutch residents still order from Chinese webshops regularly 

Online stores in China are quite popular among Dutch residents, with 47 percent of survey participants having ordered from one in the recent past. 20 percent even order from Chinese webshops at least once a month.

Despite this popularity, in another survey by EenVandaag completed last year when the levy was first announced, 45 percent thought the tax was a good idea. When asked about a complete ban on products from Chinese webshops, 45 percent of participants were in favour. "It is bad for the environment and working conditions there, and furthermore, we must encourage and invest in domestic products from Europe," commented one person.

62 percent of consumers who had bought goods from one of these online stores had a bad experience, whether it was poor quality or the item not being what shoppers expected based on the images online. The recent RTL Nieuws survey had similar results, with 64 percent of those surveyed complaining about the product quality and 33 percent concerned about product safety. 73 percent also said that the price-quality ratio is no longer worth it.