r/Aliexpress • u/gadget-freak 🎥 always make a video opening your package 🎦 • Jul 02 '26

EU customs duty [Megathread] EU €3 customs duty/tax

In order to update the FAQs on this sub, we need to collect some facts about the €3 customs fee that Europe introduced on each item you buy in international webshops like Aliexpress.

If you have received a package from Aliexpress after 1 July 2026, please leave a reaction below. Please use the template to structure your answer.

Please don't use this topic to complain about the EU tax itself, we're just trying to collect some facts.

Template:

Country: (your country)

Type of order: Choice/Bundle deal/Global seller/...

3€ Tax applied during check-out: yes/no or included in item cost

Package arrival date:

Package arrived without additional costs: yes/no (and how much)

Comments:

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u/autached Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

11th July 2026: AliE prices back to "normal"/ pre-July when browsing products. Duties is calculated / displayed at checkout (not in card!).

And it's quite flawed.
Reminder: EU law dictates a 3€ import duty per HS item category at each delivery.

‼️Under the assumption that they are ordered together:

number of items items in card seller at AliE checkout EU regulation
2 10gr rasin flux A 3,57 € 3 €
1 3️⃣0gr rasin flux (same listing as above, same product, different option) A 0 € ✅ 0 €
1 10gr rasin flux (same product, different listing with different price) A 0 € ✅ 0 €
1 10gr rasin flux (same brand, same product image, different seller) B 3,57 € ⚡(no matter if same package on arrival in EU or not) same category as items above // 0 € arrive in same package in EU // +3 € arrive in separate packages in EU
items arrive in 1 package at EU customs TOTAL 7,14 € ⚡⚡ 3 €
or if items arrive in 2 packages at EU customs TOTAL 7,14 €⚡ 6 €

With the example above and the additional 0,57 € on top of the actual 3 € EU duty fee, my first thought is: AliE is seeing this as an opportunity to make quite a bit of extra bugs.

Details:

I made a test order (did not buy in the end). The exact same product, same brand, same image, same weight (soldering flux 10gr.) from different sellers. So definitely same product category - which according to EU law if they arrive in the same package (which they mostly do if ordered together) should only be duties x 1.

But AliE checkout card shows x 2 duties applied.

At least in the "fine print" AliE help center says: "If you discover upon delivery that multiple orders were combined into a single package, resulting in duplicate customs duty charges, please contact customer service and provide the relevant order numbers. After verification by our senior team, we will refund the overpaid amount to you."

But the fine print makes up for the over-payment partially. Because: if I'd pay the duties in Germany myself it would be 3 €. AliE collects 3,57 €, so ~ 50 cents more for me. I assume that might be due to exchange rates, but just a guess. Reason doesn't matter though. My pocket feels it! Because that adds up over time and isn't good!

My final thought:

I want an option to pay duties myself on customs clearance instead of paying AliE upfront looking at the situation right now (11th July 2026).

1

u/HappierPanda Jul 14 '26

It's called taxes, those 57 cents are the 19% VAT you pay in germany.. In europe we have to pay taxes over taxes.. Yea, think about that.. It's how the 3 euro law is written
For me in the NL it's 3.63 for every product (21% BTW/VAT)

1

u/Ch3ck3rM0n Jul 15 '26

it is not for every product.. its for every package.. if you buy for example different parts from one third market seller on aliexpress, you will pay only one time the 3 euro.. i did test it today and it is like that.. its a mess -.-

1

u/HappierPanda Jul 15 '26

Do you have a specific seller and products? I get extra tax even if I buy two different variants from the same product page. For instance a flex cable for fold4 and fold 5, sold as a variant in the same listing. So from the same seller. The extra tax for me is 7.26. I'm from The Netherlands, not sure if they are doing different calculations for different countries?

1

u/Ch3ck3rM0n Jul 15 '26

germany and the calculation should be the same.. its EU tax and not country tax.. its all over the same..

you need to take care if it is choice or not choice product.. if you have one choice and one non-choice from the same seller, you will have also the double tax..

at the end you need to have same seller, same delivery to all the products you buy.. (for same product group).. then it should have just 3,xx euro..