Since 1 November 2026, every non-EU shipment sold at a distance carries a €2 handling fee per category of items, whatever its value, according to an AFP report of 26 October. The measure is European: it applies in all member states, including Belgium, and none of the report's figures concern Belgian companies. It comes on top of the €3 duty in place since July and targets flows often carried by Shein, Temu or AliExpress. For a Belgian company selling online, it is a change of context to watch before the festive season.
1. What changes from 1 November
According to AFP, carried by La DH on 26 October, the €2 fee applies to any shipment from a third country in a distance sale, whatever the value of the goods. It is due for each category of items in a single parcel: twenty caps cost €2, while a parcel with three types of items costs €6.
It comes on top of the €3 duty in place since July for parcels worth less than €150. The fee is permanent and its amount will be reviewed every two years. The €3 duty will disappear in July 2028, replaced by standard EU customs duties.
2. Who pays, and what the figures say
European legislation makes platforms, sellers or their intermediaries liable. They may pass the fee on to the customer at checkout. BEUC, the European consumer organisation, says carriers must not claim it from buyers afterwards.
The figures are European, not Belgian. According to AFP, nearly 5.9 billion small parcels entered the EU in 2025, of which 93% came from China. Since July, these flows have fallen by about 64%, but Brussels considers it too early to draw conclusions.
3. What it means for a Belgian company
The report names no Belgian company. It only notes that European manufacturers and sellers had denounced unfair competition. The effect on your sales is not established: a dearer offer from elsewhere does not automatically bring customers back to you.
What you control is the clarity of your own offer: displayed prices, delivery times, returns, customer reviews. As the festive season approaches, these arguments weigh in the comparison. They deserve testing in your ads and on your product pages.
The AI lens, humans first
AI can compare your prices, delivery times and shipping costs with those of equivalent non-EU offers in a few minutes, pick out the customer reviews that mention delays or quality, and suggest ad variants to test. It does not decide whether you enter a price battle, which promise you can keep or which margins you defend. Those choices remain human. AI executes. Expertise decides, and keeps watch.
This week
This week, list your ten main products and compare their price and delivery time with equivalent offers sold outside the EU. Then check that your product pages clearly show the price including VAT, the delivery time and the returns conditions. Finally, prepare two ad messages, one on delivery time and one on service, and test them on a small scale before Black Friday.
Vistalaro Reach tests your delivery, service and proximity messages in your Meta and Google campaigns before the festive season. Vistalaro Studio turns these arguments into clear visuals consistent with your brand, for your ads and your product pages alike. Vistalaro Pilot puts a senior marketer at your side to decide where to position yourself against non-EU offers, without entering a price battle.
Are your arguments against non-EU offers clear?
A senior marketer can review them with you before Black Friday.
Let's talk