EU Bỏ Ngưỡng Miễn Thuế Nhập Khẩu Dưới €150: Seller POD Cần Làm Gì Để Giữ Lợi Nhuận?

From July 1, 2026, the EU will remove the import duty exemption for orders under €150 shipped from outside the EU. This change will directly affect sellers shipping B2C orders into the EU, especially those using Print-on-Demand, eCommerce, and cross-border fulfillment models.

So, what should sellers do to protect their profit margin? Let’s break it down with BurgerPrints.

1. What Is Changing in the EU?

Starting July 1, 2026, the EU will remove the import duty exemption for shipments under €150 coming from outside the EU.[1, 2]

This means sellers may no longer need to calculate only VAT through IOSS. They may also need to factor in import duty, customs handling fees, and country-specific fees if they apply.

A simple way to understand it:

Period	Cost formula to consider
Before the change	Landed cost = Product cost + shipping + VAT
After the change	Landed cost = Product cost + shipping + VAT + import duty + customs handling fees (EU-wide fee + country-specific fees) + excise duty if applicable

Landed cost means the total cost of getting a product to the customer. For POD and eCommerce sellers, landed cost is very important because it directly affects profit.

2. What Fees May Be Added to Orders Under €150 Shipped from Outside the EU?

From July 1, 2026, orders under €150 shipped from outside the EU may be subject to the following fees.[1, 2]

Fee	Simple explanation	Before	From July 1, 2026
VAT	Value-added tax, calculated on the order value	VAT applied	VAT still applies
Flat-rate Customs Duty	A fixed import duty	Exempt for goods/parcels ≤ €150	€3 per product category
Customs Handling Fee	EU-wide customs processing fee	Not yet applied	Proposed at around €2 per parcel
Country-specific customs handling fees	Fees charged by each EU country or carrier	Depends on the country and carrier	More EU countries may apply them
Excise Duty	Special tax on certain restricted products	Applies to specific goods	Still applies to specific goods

In many cases, the extra cost may be around €5–€10 per order, depending on the country where the order clears customs.

So, what does each fee mean in practice?

2.1. Flat-rate Customs Duty

The EU will apply a flat-rate customs duty. This is a fixed import duty of €3 for each product category in a parcel. The category is based on the tariff heading, or product tax code.[1]

This mainly applies to non-EU sellers using IOSS and postal flows.

This duty is calculated by product type. It is not calculated by the number of items. [1, 2]

Example parcel	How it is calculated	Duty to pay
10 T-shirts of the same type	1 product category × €3	€3
5 T-shirts + 5 pairs of jeans	2 product categories × €3	€6

The Council of the European Union introduced this measure to reduce cases where low-cost eCommerce platforms outside the EU, such as Temu and Shein, split orders into smaller shipments to avoid tax. [1, 2]

Sellers should not only look at the total order value. When selling into the EU, they should also check how many product categories are included in one parcel. A parcel with multiple product groups may be charged multiple times.

For sellers using BurgerPrints, reviewing bundle structure, product codes, and landed cost can help reduce the risk of unexpected profit loss.

2.2. Customs Handling Fees

In addition to VAT, sellers shipping goods into the EU should also pay attention to customs handling fees. These fees may increase the cost of each order.

First, there is the EU-wide fee. The EU has proposed a customs declaration handling fee of around €2 per parcel from November 1, 2026. However, the final amount has not been confirmed yet.

Second, some EU countries already apply, or may apply, their own national customs handling fees. [1, 2, 3] For example:

• France: around €2 per HS6, already applied.
• Italy: around €2 per order, expected from July 1, 2026.
• Romania: around €5 per order, already applied.
• Belgium: around €2 per order.

HS6 is a 6-digit code used to classify products. It helps customs authorities identify what the product is and how it should be taxed.

These fees are separate from EU tax. This means that even if a seller has already paid VAT through IOSS, country-specific customs handling fees may still apply. They are not automatically removed.

Because of this, sellers should not calculate only VAT when selling into the EU. The real cost may include the proposed EU fee of around €2 per parcel, plus country-specific fees. These may range from €2–€5 per order, or around €2 per HS6, depending on the market.

In this context, EU-based production, including options through BurgerPrints, can be a way for sellers to reduce the risk of import-related fees and keep costs more stable.

2.3. Excise Duty

Some restricted product categories are never exempt from tax, even if the order value is under €150.

These products include alcohol, alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and tobacco products. Sellers may need to pay both normal import duty and excise duty based on the rules of the EU member state where the order is delivered. [1]

Sellers working with these specific product groups should check the rules before selling into the EU.

3. How Do These Fees Affect Sellers?

3.1. Impact on Sellers Shipping from Outside the EU

• How does it affect sellers?

The sellers most clearly affected are those producing from countries such as Vietnam or China, then importing orders into the EU.

For POD sellers, this impact can be significant. Common POD products such as T-shirts, mugs, posters, and stickers are often sold at around €15–€35.

When a fixed extra cost of €5–€10 is added to each order, it reduces the absolute profit directly. It is not a small percentage-based cost.

For example:

– A T-shirt sells for €22. The product cost plus shipping is around €10. The original gross profit is around €12. If a new fee of €5–€8 is added, profit may drop by around 40%–65%.

– For lower-priced products such as stickers or mugs under €12, the new fees may leave very little profit, or even turn the order into a loss.

• What should sellers do?

POD sellers shipping directly from outside the EU should recalculate the full landed cost for each product line before scaling in this market.

Sellers may also consider EU-based production to reduce the risk of extra import-related fees and keep profit more stable.

For example:

Print partner	Location	Key features
Pura	Toulouse, France	High-quality DTG printing Wide product catalog Strong production speed Platform Label Support Made in France: products follow strict European production standards Fast delivery across Europe thanks to France-based fulfillment
Rocky	Łódź, Poland	High-quality DTG printing Early tracking updates Large production capacity Strong production speed Made in Poland: products follow strict European production standards
Hatta	Halle, Germany	High-quality DTG printing Wide product catalog Strong production speed Eco-friendly packaging Made in Germany: products follow strict European production standards

3.2. Impact on Bundles and Upsells

• How does it affect sellers?

Bundles and upsells may also be affected if fees are calculated on a “per HS6” basis. With this method, each product group with a different HS6 code may add a flat-rate fee of €3.

HS6 is a 6-digit code used to classify products. It helps customs authorities identify what the product is and how it should be taxed.

For example:

• An order with only a T-shirt may add €3.
• An order with a T-shirt + mug may add €6.
• An order with a T-shirt + mug + sticker may add up to €9.

This can make upsell or cross-sell offers with multiple product types less cost-effective.

In the past, bundles could help increase AOV and optimize shipping costs. But under the new fee structure, each different product type in the same order may add another €3.

• What should sellers do?

Sellers should review how they build bundles.

They may want to group products of the same type together, avoid combining too many different product groups in one parcel, or split orders if customs costs are more reasonable that way.

For pricing, sellers may need to increase product prices or show shipping and handling fees more clearly. However, this should be managed carefully to avoid hurting conversion rates.

As the low-cost advantage of Asia-based POD production becomes smaller, sellers may consider EU-based production through BurgerPrints to keep costs and profit more stable.

3.3. Impact on Sellers Shipping from Within the EU

• How does it affect sellers?

On the other hand, sellers using EU-based supply, such as products made directly by partner facilities in the EU, may have a clearer advantage.

Goods moving within the EU do not go through the same import customs process as goods shipped from outside the EU.

Compared with sellers shipping directly from Asia into the EU, sellers using EU-based production may avoid:

– The additional €5–€10 per order from new fees.

– The €3 fee for each different HS6 product group in a bundle.

– The risk of a 40%–65% profit drop on mid-priced POD products such as T-shirts.

– The risk of low-priced products becoming nearly unprofitable or loss-making.

One important point is that production costs in the EU are often higher than in Vietnam or China.

However, after adding the new fees for goods imported from outside the EU, the cost gap between the two fulfillment models may become much smaller.

• What should sellers do?

For sellers selling into Europe, the key point is not only to compare base cost. Sellers should calculate the full landed cost.

BurgerPrints currently offers EU-based production options, giving sellers more flexibility when optimizing cost, delivery speed, and profit in this market.