Guide for US shops · checked 20 October 2026
The EU €3 parcel duty for US sellers
If you sell from the US on Etsy, eBay or your own Shopify store, every parcel you send to a buyer in the EU now pays a flat €3 customs duty for each type of product inside, even a $12 sticker order. EU VAT is still due on top. Here's how it works and how to stop it eating your margin.
Want the answer for your own case? Use the tool, then read on for the details.
Check what my EU parcels payThe rule
- Since 1 July 2026, parcels worth €150 or less sent to EU consumers from outside the EU pay €3 for every different product type inside. Before that, they paid no duty, only VAT.
- A product type means goods with the same 6-digit tariff code and country of origin. Three identical T-shirts pay €3; a T-shirt and a mug pay €6.
- Parcels worth more than €150 skip the flat €3 and pay normal EU duty rates and import VAT instead.
- The flat €3 is set to run until 1 July 2028. France also charges its own €2 per parcel from outside the EU, and from 1 November 2026 the EU adds a €2 handling fee per product type in each parcel. How the €2 fee works.
There's no US–EU trade agreement that removes it, so US-made goods pay the €3 like goods from anywhere else outside the EU.
Worked examples
| Parcel to an EU buyer | EU duty |
|---|---|
| One art print to Germany | €3 |
| Two prints and a greeting card to Ireland | €6 (different codes) |
| Three pairs of the same earrings to Spain | €3 (one product type) |
| One mug to France | €3, plus France's €2 charge if your carrier applies it |
| Order worth more than €150 | Normal EU duty rates and VAT instead |
Who actually pays
That depends on your shipping label:
- Prepaid (DDP) or marketplace-collected: the duty is charged to you, the seller. Ask your platform and carrier how they handle the €3 on EU orders.
- Not prepaid: your buyer is asked to pay the duty and VAT before delivery, usually with a carrier handling fee on top. Many buyers refuse the parcel, and the return costs you.
How to price it in
- Add it to EU shipping, or set EU prices a little higher, so single-item orders cover €3. On a low-price item that's a large share of your profit.
- Encourage bundles of the same item. Multiples of one product share one €3, so "buy 3" offers cost nothing extra in duty.
- Use the same tariff code and description for the same product every time, so identical items are grouped on one customs line.
- Check VAT is collected. Etsy, eBay and Amazon collect EU VAT at checkout on orders up to €150; your own store needs IOSS registration or the buyer pays VAT on delivery. EU VAT and IOSS checker.
More ways to cut it: bundling orders for the EU €3. Selling from the UK? EU €3 duty for UK sellers. Shipping into the US from abroad? US price checker.
Sources: European Commission, Access2Markets (customs duty on low-value consignments from 1 July 2026); EAS Project; VATCalc on France's €2 levy, as summarised on our UK seller page (checked 11 October 2026). Read again 20 October 2026; no change announced.
Want your EU prices worked out for you?
Send your product list or shop link and get a spreadsheet: the 3 euro duty and 2 euro fee per product, VAT on top, whether bundling saves your buyer money, and a suggested EU price. From $30 for 10 products on Fiverr. We're not customs brokers; if you need VAT/IOSS registration, we'll tell you.