The EU is removing the customs duty exemption on low-value goods imported from outside the bloc. A €3 charge applies per product type on orders under €150 — affecting every UK seller shipping direct to European customers. Fulfil from Ireland and it doesn't apply to you.
Until 30 June 2026, parcels valued under €150 entering the EU from outside the bloc were exempt from customs duty. That exemption ends on 1 July 2026 under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382. In its place, a flat €3 customs duty applies per distinct product type — based on tariff classification (HS code) — on goods valued under €150. For most single-product orders, this means €3 per parcel. For orders containing different product types, the charge applies to each one separately. A second, separate €2 handling fee is currently under negotiation and expected from November 2026. These two charges would stack.
This is a temporary measure running until July 2028, when the EU Customs Data Hub comes online and full standard duty rates by product category will apply instead. The €3 is not the endpoint — it's the starting point.
Ireland is a member of the EU. Goods stored here and shipped to European customers move freely within the single market — no import handling charges, no customs declarations, no delays at the border.
By holding stock with Nexship in Dublin, your European orders fulfil from inside the EU. Your customers pay the same as they would buying from any other EU-based seller — and you compete on a level playing field.
You continue to sell from your existing UK operation. You simply forward stock to our Dublin facility and we fulfil your European orders from here. Your UK orders continue as normal from wherever you currently fulfil them.
Your EU-based competitors don't pay this charge. Every time a European customer compares your checkout total to a local seller, that €3 is costing you the sale. Remove it and you're competing on product and price — not on an administrative charge you have no control over.
Goods stored in Ireland ship to all EU member states freely — no import charges, no customs declarations, no friction at the border. The €3 charge simply doesn't apply.
Ireland shares a language, a time zone, and many business practices with the UK. Setting up here is the lowest-friction EU footprint a UK brand can have.
Stock held in Ireland and fulfilled from Ireland is genuine EU fulfilment — not a paperwork solution. Your customers get faster delivery and you get a scalable European operation.
This works best for UK brands with meaningful European order volume who are currently absorbing or passing on the €3 import charge.
UK e-commerce brands shipping to EU customers who are seeing the €3 charge affect their checkout conversion or margin.
Shopify and WooCommerce sellers who want EU orders to route automatically to an Irish fulfilment base without rebuilding their store.
Brands losing EU sales to local competitors who don't carry the same import cost burden and can offer lower checkout totals.
UK brands planning EU expansion who want a low-risk way to establish a European fulfilment presence without a large upfront commitment.
Any UK seller currently shipping to Ireland and European customers from the UK who is absorbing or passing on import charges they shouldn't have to pay.
Fashion, homewares, health & beauty, and consumer goods brands where a €3 charge at checkout is the difference between completing and abandoning a purchase.
Tell us about your European order volume and we'll talk through what fulfilling from Ireland would look like for your business — and how quickly we can get you set up.