No — it is explicitly transitional. The €3 flat rate runs until 1 July 2028, when the EU Customs Data Hub for e-commerce is expected to come online and normal customs duties based on each product's actual classification apply instead. Separately, carriers must now submit standardised electronic shipment data before goods enter the EU, including product descriptions and HS codes, and a handling fee on e-commerce goods is expected from November 2026.

Cross-border marketplace; check landed cost

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Q: What changed for EU buyers in 2026?

On 1 July 2026 the EU abolished the €150 customs duty exemption for low-value consignments and replaced it with a flat-rate customs duty of €3 per product category. It applies principally to business-to-consumer consignments under €150 entering the EU where the non-EU seller is registered in the Import One-Stop Shop for VAT. This is already in force.

Q: Is the €3 charged once per order?

No, and this is the part people get wrong. It is charged per product category — per tariff heading — rather than per parcel, so a single order containing three different kinds of item can attract the charge three times. Consolidating a basket does not consolidate the duty, which inverts the usual assumption that combining orders saves money.

Q: How do I work out what a purchase really costs?

Calculate the landed cost, which is five numbers rather than one: the item price, shipping, VAT, customs duty, and any carrier handling or clearance fee. That last one catches people out most often, because couriers commonly charge an administration fee for handling clearance and advancing the tax regardless of how small the duty is — so a €4 item can arrive with a bill larger than the item. Compare the landed cost against a domestic seller, not the listing price. And check your own country's rules, since this is the EU regime and others differ.

Q: Who am I actually buying from?

An independent seller, in most cases — a marketplace is not a retailer, and your contract is generally with the seller rather than the platform. That means your practical remedy is the platform's own buyer-protection scheme rather than the consumer law you are used to with a domestic shop, so find out what it covers and what its deadline is before you need it, since these schemes are time-limited and the clock usually starts at dispatch or estimated delivery.

Q: What is the single most useful habit?

Open a dispute inside the window rather than waiting to see if the item turns up. A dispute can normally be withdrawn if it then arrives, whereas a window that has closed cannot be reopened — and that one habit resolves most bad outcomes in marketplace buying. Also screenshot the listing at purchase, since listings can be edited or removed and a dispute rests on what was promised.

The EU scrapped its €150 duty exemption on 1 July 2026 — small parcels now carry a flat €3 per product category

AliExpress is a cross-border online marketplace operated by Alibaba, on which independent sellers list goods shipped internationally to consumers.

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Genie Says

For EU buyers the rules changed on 1 July 2026 and are already in force: the €150 customs duty exemption is abolished, replaced by a flat €3 customs duty charged per product category — per tariff heading, not per parcel — so a mixed basket attracts it more than once. It applies mainly to B2C consignments under €150 where the seller is IOSS-registered, and it is transitional, running to 1 July 2028 when classification-based duties return. Carriers must now submit electronic shipment data including HS codes, and a handling fee is expected from November 2026. Work out the landed cost: item, shipping, VAT, duty and carrier handling. And remember a marketplace is not a retailer — your remedy is the platform's time-limited protection scheme.

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How to Use an AliExpress Referral Code

Calculate the landed cost

Item, shipping, VAT, duty and any carrier handling fee. The listing price is the first of five numbers.

Note that duty is per category, not per parcel

€3 per tariff heading, so a mixed basket attracts it more than once — consolidating does not consolidate the duty.

Find the buyer-protection deadline

Before you need it. The clock usually starts at dispatch or estimated delivery, and a closed window cannot be reopened.

Judge the seller, not the product

The same item is sold by many sellers, and the seller is what predicts your experience.

Reward Details

Your Reward: Verify current terms in-app. Coupons and new-buyer discounts change frequently on this platform.
Referrer Reward: Verify current terms in-app.
Minimum Purchase: Verify current qualifying conditions.
Validity: ⚠️ EU buyers: the €150 duty exemption ended 1 July 2026, replaced by €3 per product category until 1 July 2028.
Available In: USA, UK, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, China, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cyprus, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, New Zealand, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Qatar
Referral Limit: Verify current terms.
Payout Time: Verify current terms.
Eligibility: ⚠️ Your contract is generally with the seller rather than the platform — the practical remedy is the platform's buyer-protection scheme, which is time-limited.

Why Choose AliExpress?

Carrier handling fees apply regardless of size

Which is why a €4 item can arrive with a bill larger than the item itself.

The €3 flat rate has an end date

It runs to 1 July 2028, when classification-based duties return with the EU Customs Data Hub.

Open a dispute inside the window

It can normally be withdrawn if the item arrives. A window that has closed cannot be reopened.

Electrical goods deserve real caution

Check plug, voltage and safety marking — the one category where cheap cross-border buying can be unsafe rather than disappointing.

About AliExpress

Two things decide whether a cheap listing is actually cheap: what it costs once it lands, and who is answerable if it does not arrive.

**If you buy into the EU, the rules changed on 1 July 2026 and the change is already in force.**

**The €150 customs duty exemption for low-value consignments has been abolished.** In its place there is a **flat-rate customs duty of €3 per product category.**

**⚠️ Read that unit carefully, because it is the part people get wrong: the €3 is charged per PRODUCT CATEGORY — per tariff heading — not per parcel.** A single order containing three different kinds of item can therefore attract the charge three times. **Consolidating a basket does not consolidate the duty**, which inverts the usual assumption that combining orders saves money.

**The charge applies principally to business-to-consumer consignments under €150** entering the EU where the non-EU seller is registered in the **Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS)** for VAT purposes.

**⚠️ And it is explicitly transitional.** The €3 flat rate runs until **1 July 2028**, when the **EU Customs Data Hub** for e-commerce is expected to come online and **normal customs duties based on each product's actual classification** apply instead. **So the current arrangement is a simplification with an end date**, and anyone building buying habits around it should know that.

**Two further changes worth knowing:**

**Carriers and importers must now submit standardised electronic shipment data before goods enter the EU** — precise product descriptions, seller and buyer information, consignee details and **HS classification codes**. In practice this means **more information about your purchase moves through the system, and mis-declared parcels are easier to identify.**
**A handling fee on e-commerce goods is expected from November 2026**, which will be a further line on top.

**⚠️ This is the EU regime. Other countries differ, and we have not verified their current figures for this page** — so **check your own jurisdiction's thresholds before ordering**, rather than assuming any figure quoted on a marketplace applies to you.

**Which brings the general rule this page exists for: work out the LANDED COST, which is five numbers rather than one.**

**The item price. Shipping. VAT. Customs duty. Any carrier handling or clearance fee.**

**That last one catches people out most often.** Couriers commonly charge an administration fee for handling customs clearance and advancing the tax — **and it is charged regardless of how small the duty is.** A €4 item can arrive with a bill larger than the item. **Compare the landed cost against a domestic seller, not the listing price.**

**Now the second question, which matters more when something goes wrong: who are you actually buying from?**

**⚠️ A marketplace is not a retailer.** AliExpress hosts independent sellers; **your contract is generally with the seller, not the platform.** That has consequences:

**Your practical remedy is the platform's own buyer-protection scheme**, not the consumer law you are used to with a domestic shop. **Find out what it covers and — crucially — its deadline**, because these schemes are time-limited and the clock usually starts at dispatch or estimated delivery.
**Open a dispute inside the window rather than waiting.** A dispute can normally be withdrawn if the item then arrives; **a window that has closed cannot be reopened.** This single habit resolves most bad outcomes in marketplace buying.
**Pay by a method with an independent chargeback route**, which sits behind the platform's scheme rather than replacing it.
**Keep the listing.** Screenshot the description and specification at purchase, because **listings can be edited or removed**, and a dispute rests on what was promised.

**Three practical points specific to this kind of buying:**

**Read the seller's record, not the product's rating.** On a marketplace the same item is sold by many sellers, and **the variable that predicts your experience is the seller**, not the product.
**Expect long delivery windows** and check the stated range before ordering anything time-sensitive.
**⚠️ For anything electrical, check the plug, the voltage and the safety marking** for your country. **This is the one category where a cheap cross-border purchase can be genuinely unsafe rather than merely disappointing**, and it is worth being blunt about.