Why “a third fewer Chinese packages since the package tax” is fake news

Since the introduction of the European parcel tax, Belgian customs has recorded about a 35% decrease in low-cost parcels from outside the EU. That translates to approximately 1.26 million fewer shipments per day. However, these figures are misleading: it’s not necessarily true that Belgians are ordering significantly less from Shein and Temu.

Inventory shifting to Europe

The European parcel tax, in effect since July 1, has already had a noticeable impact. At least on paper, since the number of shipments valued at over 150 euros (the threshold for the new tax) rose by about 10%. Chinese online retailers are increasingly bundling orders into larger packages to limit the impact of the tax, says transportation economist Roel Gevaers of the University of Antwerp in an interview with HLN.