EU customs fee curbs Temu, Shein and AliExpress sales in Hungary

The EU’s July 1 customs rule eliminated the previous exemption for consignments up to EUR 150, replacing it with a EUR 3 duty per item based on tariff classification. Hungarian consumers, according to senior e-commerce consultant Szabolcs Timár of PwC Hungary, are now paying closer attention to the final price rather than just advertised item costs. This behavioural shift has led to a noticeable drop in orders from non-EU sellers, with parcels arriving from outside the bloc decreasing by around 750,000 between the first two quarters of 2026, while orders from EU sources increased by more than 1.25 million.

Temu, which handled over 13 million orders in 2025 and represented almost 10 % of the national online market, recorded a 92 % year-on-year rise in Q1 2026 but faces a slowdown as the duty takes effect. Shein and AliExpress are experiencing similar declines, though they are not expected to disappear entirely. European platforms such as Poland’s Allegro, Romania’s eMAG and Czech-based Alza stand to gain, while Chinese sellers may adapt by using EU warehouses to embed the duty into product prices.