After the European Union began charging 3 euros (about $3.50) on many low-value parcels entering the bloc, nearly half of Dutch consumers surveyed said they were ordering less often from ultra-cheap Chinese sites such as Temu and Shein.
Here's what to know
Citing an RTL Nieuws survey, IamExpat reported that 46% of people in the Netherlands said they had reduced their purchases from Chinese webshops after the levy started on July 1, 2026.
NL Times said the rule covers parcels worth 150 euros (about $175) or less that arrive in the EU from outside the bloc. The fee is charged by item type rather than once for the entire package, so an order with a T-shirt and two pairs of shoes would incur a 6-euro surcharge (about $7).
Chinese webshops remain widely used: 47% of respondents said they had ordered from one, and 20% said they make at least one such purchase each month.
The EU adopted the levy to reduce the volume of e-commerce parcels entering the bloc, especially from China. NL Times also reported that the Netherlands had weighed a separate charge on non-EU packages before dropping the proposal.
More background
A separate EenVandaag survey found notable support for it. In that poll, 45% of respondents said the tax was a good idea, and the same share said they would support a full ban on products from Chinese webshops.
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That attitude may reflect complaints. According to NL Times, survey findings showed that 62% of consumers who had bought from these sites reported a bad experience, either because the quality was poor or because the product did not resemble the online photos.
The RTL Nieuws survey pointed in the same direction, with 64% citing product quality, 33% expressing concern about product safety, and 73% saying the price-to-quality ratio no longer seemed worth it.
What's being done?
The EU levy is intended to curb the flow of low-cost imports.
As one respondent in the EenVandaag survey put it: "It is bad for the environment and working conditions there, and furthermore, we must encourage and invest in domestic products from Europe."
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