BusinessNov 12, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC·1 min read

Temu and Shein parcels to Poland: the 3 euro fee and the workaround

Poland's new 3 euro fee on small Chinese parcels halved shipments in a month. Shoppers and platforms have already found ways around it.

Stacks of small cardboard parcels in a warehouse sorting area, ready for delivery to customers. — Image: telepolis.pl

Poland slapped a 3 euro fee on small parcels from China, and the number of packages dropped by half almost overnight. But Temu, Shein and AliExpress are not exactly in trouble. Shoppers and the platforms themselves have found a workaround.

The numbers come from the Finance Ministry and the National Revenue Administration, which answered a parliamentary question. Between 1 July and 30 September, more than 6.2 million small parcels worth up to 150 euros arrived in Poland. About 90 percent of them, some 5.6 million, came from China. Their declared value was 1.2 billion zloty, and buyers paid 185.7 million zloty in the new fee.

How much did Chinese parcels to Poland fall?

In June, before the fee, Poland received around 4.2 million parcels from China. A month later that fell to about 2.1 million, a 50 percent drop. Deputy Finance Minister Marcin Łoboda gave a similar picture: since early July, parcels from China are down 50 percent, and the number of product items declared in customs filings is down 75 percent.

How are Temu and AliExpress avoiding the fee?

Two ways. First, more parcels now ship directly from within Europe, including from Poland, where Temu and AliExpress have warehouses. Those parcels do not carry the extra fee.

Second, customers changed their habits. They buy less often but in bigger batches. Instead of three parcels with one sweater each, they order one parcel with three sweaters. The 3 euro fee is charged per product category, so it is paid once.

The savings may not last. Since November, a further handling fee of 2 euros has applied, meant to ease the workload of customs offices.

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Tags:temusheinaliexpresspolandcustoms feee-commerce