From July 1, 2026, the European Union will implement new customs duty rules for business-to-consumer (B2C) parcels imported from the UK with a value under €150. The current system, which typically applies duties per parcel, will be replaced by a charge of €3 per Harmonized System (HS) code per item type. This change is expected to substantially increase costs for UK e-commerce businesses shipping orders containing multiple different products (SKUs) to EU customers.
This regulatory shift is anticipated to affect the majority of e-commerce shipments from the UK destined for the EU. The move aims to streamline customs procedures and ensure fair competition within the EU market, but it introduces a new layer of complexity and cost for non-EU sellers.
For freight forwarders and logistics operations managers handling UK-to-EU e-commerce traffic, this means a significant adjustment in duty calculation and potential increases in overall shipping costs for their clients. Forwarders will need to ensure their systems are updated to accurately reflect the new per-item-type duty structure, which could lead to more complex invoicing and declarations. Shippers should prepare for higher landed costs for multi-item orders, potentially impacting pricing strategies and customer conversion rates. This could also lead to a shift in consumer purchasing behavior, favoring single-item orders or local EU suppliers to avoid increased costs.
