Does July mark the end of cheap Temu shopping? Hungary to introduce new tariff on products outside of the EU

Hungarian consumers who regularly shop on Chinese online marketplaces such as Temu will soon face higher costs, as a new European Union customs regime comes into force on 1 July. The measure will introduce a HUF 1066 (EUR 3) customs charge on low-value goods arriving from outside the EU, potentially increasing the price of many popular online purchases.

New EU customs rules target low-cost imports, like Temu

According to Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), all EU member states will begin applying new customs regulations from July. Under the new system, products ordered from non-EU online retailers and shipped in consignments worth less than EUR 150 will be subject to a EUR 3 customs charge.

The European Union says the change is designed to strengthen consumer protection and create fairer competition between EU-based businesses and sellers operating from third countries, particularly large Chinese e-commerce platforms.

EU officials have also argued that the current system is vulnerable to abuse. According to previous statements from the European Commission, many imported parcels are declared below their actual value in order to benefit from customs exemptions.

The charge applies by product category, not by parcel

One of the most important aspects of the new rules is that the EUR 3 fee will not be charged per package. Instead, it will be applied to each product category contained within a shipment, based on customs tariff classifications.

This means that customers ordering different types of products together could end up paying multiple charges. As HVG pointed out, a parcel ordered from Temu, or any other online marketplace, containing a T-shirt, a mobile phone case and a pair of earphones would include three separate product categories. As a result, the total customs charge would amount to EUR 9.

By contrast, if a customer orders three identical cotton T-shirts, all items fall under the same tariff category, meaning only a single EUR 3 charge would apply. The new system is expected to make it more difficult for shoppers to avoid additional costs by combining different products into a single shipment.

Costs likely to be built into online prices

NAV has indicated that the customs charge will be incorporated into the pricing structures of online marketplaces and retailers, so the practical customs clearance process itself will remain largely unchanged.

Postal operators, courier companies and authorised representatives of online platforms will continue to handle customs procedures for small parcels entering the EU. The new rules apply only to consignments valued below EUR 150 (HUF 53,400). Customs procedures for higher-value shipments will remain unchanged.

EU’s growing concern over flood of e-commerce imports

The move comes as Hungary continues to experience a surge in cross-border e-commerce shipments. According to official figures, a record 165 million e-commerce parcels arrived in Hungary in 2025. Remarkably, around 84% of these shipments were subsequently forwarded to other EU member states.

Chinese platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress have transformed online shopping habits across Europe by offering extremely low prices and direct shipping from Asia. However, European retailers have increasingly complained that they face unfair competition from sellers operating under different regulatory and tax conditions.

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Temu recently fined in Hungary

The customs changes arrive shortly after Hungary’s Competition Authority (GVH) imposed significant penalties on Temu. Earlier this year, the authority ordered the Chinese marketplace’s European operator to pay a total of HUF 1.3 billion (EUR 3.66 million). Of that amount, HUF 882 million (EUR 2.48 million) is earmarked for consumer compensation, while HUF 437 million (EUR 1.23 million) must be paid as a competition fine.

For Hungarian shoppers accustomed to bargain purchases from overseas platforms, the new customs regime may mark the end of ultra-cheap imports. While the individual fee appears modest, orders containing multiple categories of products could quickly become noticeably more expensive from July onwards.

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