The period of extremely cheap internet shopping on platforms like “Temu” or “Shina” could soon become a thing of the past in BiH as well, because the European Union (EU) plans to introduce customs fees of three euros on packages from third countries whose value does not exceed 150 euros from July 1.
Consumers warn that such a decision could affect the changing habits of customers and reduce online orders of cheap products.
Namely, the decision of the Council of the EU could lead to the abolition of the previous rule that exempted such shipments from customs duties, and the goal is to put an end to unfair competition and bring order to the market, which has exploded in recent years.
Citizens could cancel orders
The president of the Doboj citizens’ association “ToPeeR” Snežana Šešlija believes that the eventual introduction of additional customs duties and fees on small packages from China will mostly affect citizens who have so far ordered goods through the covered platforms, because they are mostly cheaper products of low value.
– The sale of those products could be significantly reduced, because they were mostly small packages in order to avoid customs duties and additional costs. There are already rumors that people will give up and switch to other ways of shopping – said Šešlija for “Voice“.
According to her, additional fees for citizens will no longer be profitable, and the practice of the European Union will not reflect well on consumers.
She pointed out that such measures could benefit local merchants, as part of the customers could return to local stores, but again, citizens suffer the most.
Can local traders profit?
The former president of the Association of Independent Traders of the Banjaluka region, Bogdan Marjanović, believes that the introduction of additional duties and taxes on shipments from platforms such as “Temu” could somewhat slow down mass online shopping, but he points out that it is difficult to expect a significant recovery of local small shops.
– This could be a positive solution, because online shopping has practically taken over the market. The introduction of additional taxes and duties could reduce such purchases, but it remains to be seen what the effects will really be – Marjanović stated for “Glas” and added that large shopping centers have long taken over the primacy and the question is how much domestic stores can profit from these changes.
Marjanović believes that the new practice would enable the strengthening of domestic trade, especially smaller stores.
– Local traders have been in a disadvantageous position for a long time. It is difficult to expect a bigger recovery of small shops, because they are already far behind such trends – concluded Marjanović.
Businessmen are looking for stricter rules
Businessmen from Republika Srpska point to the increasing pressure coming from platforms such as “Temu”, especially in the segment of low-value shipments.
– We consider the measures introduced by the European Union to strictly regulate the import of such shipments to be justified, because in this way the domestic economy is protected, equal market conditions are ensured and unfair competition is prevented. We expect that our legislation will also recognize the importance of this issue and in the coming period make the necessary changes, in order to harmonize with European practice and ensure adequate protection of domestic producers and traders – said the Secretary of the Trade Association at the RS Chamber of Commerce Dragana Šobot.
At the end of last year, the finance ministers of the European Union members agreed to introduce customs duties on goods coming from platforms such as “Shin”, “Temu”, “AliEkspres” and others. According to the aforementioned decision, as of July 1, the exemption from customs duties allowed for packages whose value is less than 150 euros, which allowed foreign suppliers to sell cheap goods without paying taxes, will be abolished.
This change could most affect customers who order cheap products from online platforms where the cost of three euros can represent a significant percentage of the value of the order itself.
The new fee is not a temporary fad, but the first step towards a comprehensive customs reform expected in 2028, which will completely change the way we import goods. According to data previously published by the Agency for Postal Traffic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, around two million parcels arrived in this country in 2025 via the “Temu” platform.
The reason
The reason for the introduction of the customs duty lies in the incredible increase in the number of small shipments that enter the territory of the European Union every day, overwhelming the customs services and creating an unequal position for domestic traders. According to data from the European Commission, more than 4.6 billion low-value packages arrived in the EU in 2024 alone, which is an average of about 12 million shipments per day, reports NOISE.
