New proposal for taxing small packages
Good morning, reading today's news I have a bit of concern because of these new developments on the 2 euro tax on small parcels, I can't understand if it also concerns us sellers on eBay or only the extra-EU giants. Has anyone understood clearly what's happening? Thanks
15 comments
tecnostore2014
·8 months agoI hope they rethink it and apply it only to shipments outside Europe.
tecnostore2014
·8 months agoBut how will they collect this amount? Will we end up seeing it as an extra fee from eBay for each sale?
And then how do you charge 2 euros as a one-time fee! there's a big difference between a sale of 100 euros and one of 10 euros!
heavenwelkin
·8 months agoThere are also tons of sales of items for 1 euro, so putting a 2 euro tax on them would put an end to the sale of countless items.
Best regards
tecnostore2014
·8 months agoBut seriously, these people are completely out of their minds, it's like one day they just decided to raise VAT by 50%!
heavenwelkin
·8 months agoOver the years, the bar for absurdity had been raised so high that no "athlete" could clear it anymore.
Today, most of the "athletes" don’t even try anymore.
Best regards.
gloriursim
·8 months agoVAT in Europe is supposed to become 25 percent, but for now it has, let’s say, been frozen - but maybe it will be introduced in 2027 or 2028, which, considering that many goods and items come from the Southeast Asian area -- China -- India - Vietnam -- everything will increase by almost 30 percent at a minimum ---
heavenwelkin
·8 months agoMany honest sellers will be affected, but many other sellers will always find a way to get around it.
I had bought about 1 year ago an item for 450 euros on aliexpress and they said the shipment was leaving from Poland but in reality the item was not physically in Poland but was leaving from China at the time of my order, then it arrived in Poland and then from there it was sent on to Italy.
So I did not pay either VAT or customs duties.
Best regards
gloriursim
·8 months agoIF I'm not mistaken, AliExpress has warehouses or storage depots for assorted goods and items in Germany and not only there -- and I think it also has an office in Italy --- so I think that with time it will find the so-called loophole to get items in with low costs --- but the warehouses must be, or maybe are, in Germany and Spain, but maybe also in other European countries
gloriursim
·8 months agowe need to see what is meant by shipment - they say parcels, so mail like posta 1 - posta 4 and registered mail should not fall into these categories, as I said, it's still pretty unclear -- then there’s the EU proposal idea for 2028 or more likely I think from 2027 to impose a duty on imports from, say, TEMU - ALIEXPRESS - SHIEN -- A 25 PERCENT DUTY on parcels with a value under 150 euros -- so for those with a value above that amount the sum would be higher --- the Italian bill is basically meant to replace one that didn’t pass on financial gains or something similar - so that one or this one of the two euros on parcels is a stopgap -- as usual, ordinary people get screwed over --- I call the head of government GIOR THE CROOK I’m taking you for the A and I’m putting it in the A -- got it - besides, lower taxes regards
heavenwelkin
·8 months agoThe news you read refers to a recent decision by the European Union and a proposal by the Italian government to introduce tariffs and a fixed tax on low-value parcels, mainly to counter unfair competition from non-EU e-commerce platforms like Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
European context: Abolition of the customs exemption
The European Union approved, on November 13, 2025 during Ecofin (the Council of Economy Ministers), the elimination of the customs duty exemption for parcels worth less than 150 euros coming from non-EU countries. This exemption, introduced decades ago to simplify procedures for small orders, has fueled a boom in low-cost imports, especially from China (91% of non-EU parcels in 2024, for a total of 4.6 billion shipments). Many parcels were undervalued (in up to 65% of cases) to avoid checks, creating market distortions and overloading customs.
How the new rule works: Tariffs will apply "from the first euro," with a simplified mechanism for calculation and collection. In addition, a fixed handling fee of around 1-2 euros per parcel is planned, to be paid by the platforms, to cover customs costs.
Effective date: Originally planned for 2028 (with the launch of the EU Customs Data Hub), it has been brought forward to 2026 due to urgency.
Reasons: To protect European companies from unfair competition (Chinese products often do not meet safety and sustainability standards), reduce the environmental impact of massive shipments, and ease the burden on customs authorities.
Italian proposal: The 2-euro tax
In Italy, the Meloni government is considering introducing a fixed tax of 2 euros per non-EU parcel under 150 euros or 2 kg, inspired by a French model and classified as an internal consumption tax for environmental and fiscal reasons. This measure could be included in the 2026 Budget Law (2026 budget plan), currently under discussion. There is a controversial detail: according to some sources, the tax could also extend to domestic parcels (sent and received in Italy), to avoid it being considered an EU-competence tariff and to avoid penalizing imports alone.
At the moment, it is not yet law: it depends on final approval in the EU and in Italy.
gloriursim
·8 months agohi, I read various articles while doing some research --- but I think it also concerns domestic shipments -- between Italians -- both departing and arriving within Italy -- as well as Italian shipments outside Italy to European or non-European buyers --- this is what I read -- but it's still quite unclear to understand --- even though on some sites I read that it could come into effect in a few months -- regards
heavenwelkin
·8 months agoAs user tecnostore2014 rightly wrote, there’s a big difference between a sale of 100 euros and one of 10 euros.
2 euros on 100 euros would be 2%, on 10 euros 20%, and on sales of 1 euro it would reach 200%.
Best regards
lupin-5646
·7 months agoYes, but wait.....
Low-value sales are greater in number.
So making cash would be much easier.
marioelegio
·8 months agoIt is one of the government's proposals for the 2026 budget law.
Since there is still no text, no one can say what's going on.
Anyway, since Italy can't impose tariffs on its own initiative, it will necessarily have to apply to everyone. If a rule of this kind passes, all parcel shipments (both those coming from Italy and those coming from abroad) will be taxed 2 euros.
hi
mario
lupin-5646
·7 months agoAbsolutely agree.