What’s changed?
If you have off-Amazon sales channels in the EU but are shipping from outside the EU (such as the US, the UK, or China) directly to your customer, significant customs changes¹ are now in effect that will directly impact your business.
The EU has abolished the long-standing €150 duty-free exemption for low-value imports. From 1 July 2026, every parcel shipped into the EU from a non-EU country will be subject to customs duties – regardless of value.
KEY DATES 1 July 2026 A flat €3 customs duty per item/per tariff line in the customs declaration now applies to all B2C shipments under €150 entering the EU. Standard duties will continue to apply for shipments above €150 as they do today. Late 2026 An additional €2 EU handling fee will be introduced on distance-sale shipments. July 2028 The €150 threshold is fully abolished. Standard EU customs tariffs apply to all imports. |
¹ For more information, see Regulation (EU) 2026/382
How does this affect your business?
If you currently fulfil off-Amazon orders by shipping from outside the EU, you may face:
- Higher landed costs – customs duties and handling fees added to every shipment
- Potential customs clearance delays – parcels may take 5-15 days due to mandatory processing, which could slow down delivery times.
- Customer experience risk – buyers could face unexpected charges, delivery delays, or refused parcels.
- Increased operational complexity – customs declarations, compliance, and cross-border returns
How Amazon MCF helps avoid these costs
With MCF, your inventory is stored in Amazon’s EU fulfilment network. When an order arrives from any sales channel, Amazon picks, packs, and ships it locally within the EU – so no cross-border customs duties apply.
Shipping from outside the EU |
Fulfilling with MCF from the EU |
✗New €3+ customs duty per item + handling fee per item |
✓No import duties – inventory already in the EU |
✗Full customs clearance per parcel |
✓No customs processing on individual orders |
✗5-15 day delivery times |
✓1-3 day delivery across the EU |
✗Unexpected charges for customers |
✓Predictable, reliable delivery experience |
✗Complex cross-border returns |
✓Simplified EU-based returns |
Important: Shipments sent from within the EU to customers in the EU are not subject to this import duty. That’s why storing your inventory in Amazon’s EU network with MCF means these new charges simply don’t apply to your orders.
Get started now
- Review your off-Amazon EU order volume – understand your exposure to the new duties
- Send inventory to Amazon EU (FBA) – this enables MCF fulfilment from within the EU
- Connect your sales channels to MCF – use integrations for Shopify, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, and more to automate order routing
- Go live now – avoid disruption and maintain a fast, reliable delivery experience for your EU customers
⏰ The new rules are now in effect. Merchants who transition to EU-based fulfilment will avoid cost increases and continue to deliver the fast, reliable experience their customers expect. |
