Irish bargain-hunters who buy from sites like Temu, Shein and AliExpress are about to see another charge land on their orders. From Sunday 1 November, a new EU-wide €2 handling fee applies to goods sent directly to consumers from outside the European Union – just four weeks before Black Friday.
It comes on top of the €3 customs duty on small parcels worth under €150 that was introduced in July, meaning the cost of cheap overseas orders is rising again heading into the busiest shopping season of the year.
How the €2 fee works
The so-called Union handling fee is charged per distinct type of item, not per parcel and regardless of value, according to the Irish Examiner and RTÉ. Identical items count once: RTÉ gives the example that ten identical T-shirts would attract a single €2 fee, while two hats and ten T-shirts in the same order would cost €4.
Combined with the €3 duty, a €10 item shipped from outside the EU could end up costing at least €15 before any VAT, the Examiner calculates. The fee is not refunded if you send goods back.
It does not apply to anything bought from Irish, Northern Irish or other EU-based sellers. But the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) warns that a .ie web address or prices in euro do not guarantee goods are shipped from inside the EU, the Examiner reports.
Who actually pays?
Officially, the fee is levied on online marketplaces, sellers and other intermediaries, not on shoppers, RTÉ reports. The EU says consumers will not pay it directly. In practice, retailers and delivery companies can pass the cost on, either at checkout or on delivery, and it is not yet clear exactly how each platform will handle it.
Retailers that repeatedly break their obligations could face fines of up to 6% of the annual value of their imports, according to the Examiner.
Why Brussels is doing this
The EU says the explosion in tiny parcels has piled pressure and cost on customs services. Nearly six billion low-value packages entered the EU last year, with more than nine in ten coming from China, according to figures cited by RTÉ and the Examiner. Ireland alone received about 53 million such parcels in 2025, the Examiner reports.
European authorities have also raised concerns about unsafe products, such as toys that breach EU rules, arriving through these channels.
RTÉ reports that flows of these small imports have fallen by about 64% since the €3 duty was introduced in July, though officials say it is too early to draw firm conclusions.
The €3 duty is a temporary measure due to run until July 2028, when an EU Customs Data Hub is due to come online and normal product-specific tariffs will apply instead. The €2 handling fee, by contrast, is permanent and will be reviewed every two years, so it could change from November 2028.
Watch out for scams
Any change to customs charges tends to bring a wave of fake “pay your fee” texts and emails. The CCPC has warned consumers to be wary of messages demanding customs payments. It says it has received 38 queries about the two new charges since June, almost all of them about the customs duty. If in doubt, contact the delivery company directly using details from its official website rather than clicking a link.
What happens next
The fee kicks in on Sunday, so shoppers planning Black Friday and Christmas orders from outside the EU should check the final price at checkout, including any fees added on delivery. Consolidating orders of identical items may limit how many €2 charges apply. The real test will be how the big platforms respond – whether they absorb the charge, pass it on or shift more stock into EU warehouses. The fee level is due for review in 2028.
Sources
- Irish Examiner: ieExplains: From Sunday, you have to pay €2 for non-EU items. Here’s what you need to know (30 October 2026)
- RTÉ: New levy on non-EU parcels to start on 1 November (26 October 2026)
Featured image: photo by Rohit Choudhari on Unsplash.
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