Cheap imports to Czechia plunge 81 percent after new EU customs duty

The number of low-value goods declared in parcels entering Czechia from outside the EU has fallen 81 percent since June, following the introduction of a customs duty aimed at inexpensive online imports.

Czech customs authorities recorded 2.6 million declared items in September, down from 13.6 million in June. The decline began in July, when a new €3 (roughly CZK 75) import duty took effect across the EU.

A separate €2 (CZK 50) handling fee has additionally been implemented from Nov. 1, adding another cost to purchases shipped directly from non-EU countries. The new fee further increases the cost of receiving goods from outside the EU, just in time for the holidays.

Until the end of June, parcels worth up to €150 were exempt from customs duty, although VAT still applied. The new charge removed that exemption, with Czech authorities collecting approximately CZK 660 million in duty so far.

Importantly, the €3 charge applies to each category of goods declared in a parcel, rather than every individual object.

In its explanation of the rules, the Czech Customs Administration gives the example of one computer mouse and three phone cases: those constitute two categories, attracting €6 in duty altogether.

The proposed handling fee would be separate from that duty. Unlike the €150 threshold governing the flat-rate customs charge, it would apply to e-commerce imports regardless of their value.

Collection of the new fee began Nov. 1 after clearing procedural requirements, and kicks in just ahead of Black Friday and the end-of-year shopping rush. Unlike the €3 fee, which is a temporary measure active through June 2028, the new €2 fee is permanent.

Radovan Hauk of consultancy Moore said the combined charges could make impulse purchases of very cheap goods substantially less attractive.

The decline follows several years of rapid growth. Czech authorities recorded approximately 3 million low-value imported items in 2023, 23 million in 2024 and 105 million in 2025. More than 90 percent came from China.

The latest figures measure goods declared through customs, rather than the number of shoppers or individual orders.

Moore expects demand for direct shipments from China to fall further without disappearing. Some customers may switch to Czech retailers, while others could continue using overseas platforms but choose goods dispatched from European warehouses.

Those products undergo customs clearance when imported in bulk, with import costs reflected in their prices.

Czech internet and mail-order retailers recorded 15 percent growth in August, according to Czech Statistical Office figures. Hauk cautioned against attributing that increase entirely to the duty: domestic online sales were already growing at double-digit rates before July.

He said autumn figures would provide a clearer indication of whether spending is shifting toward Czech retailers. Customs charges alone, he added, would not resolve problems involving unsafe products or VAT avoidance; effective inspections remain necessary.