The EU began charging a €2 customs handling fee on November 1 on ecommerce orders shipped from outside the bloc at any value, in addition to the €3 duty it added in July for parcels worth €150 or less, according to Value Added Resource. Both charges apply per type of item rather than per package, so Ireland’s customs agency says a €10 parcel holding a pen, a notebook, and a key ring now owes €15 before VAT, while two identical pens owe €5. The seller or shipper legally owes the fee and can pass it to the buyer, but it isn’t refunded even when an order is returned or faulty. eBay collects it at checkout on eBay International Shipping and Etsy builds it into its labels, while buyers whose sellers ship another way may get a bill at delivery.
