The €3 fee on low-value consignments is changing shopping patterns in the country.

The European Union introduced a €3 customs duty on low-value e-commerce imports from third countries at the beginning of July. The change, primarily aimed at packages containing cheap goods from China, is already producing rather surprising results. The first data on packages from China show a significant drop in the number of orders in many EU countries, including Slovakia, reports the daily SME.

In terms of the number of registered consignments in Slovakia, China ranked first last year. However, Financial Administration data show that China now ranks fourth, behind the US, UK and Japan.

Between the beginning of January and the end of August 2025, almost 219,000 packages arrived in Slovakia. In the same period this year, the figure was just over 25,000, representing a year-on-year decrease of around 88 percent.

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The Smart Consumer Institute contributed a statement to a Slovak Spectator article. You can read the full piece here: https://spectator.sme.sk/business/c/eu-customs-duty-china-packages-slovakia.