From 1 July 2026, every parcel entering the EU from outside carries a €3 customs charge per tariff heading. Shein and Temu saw this coming. Both built EU warehouse capacity before the charge went live, and both now supply EU consumers from inside the EU. Their stock crosses one border once, on the bulk inbound shipment. Every consumer order ships domestically after that. The €3 charge never applies.

Shein opened a 740,000 square metre logistics hub near Wrocław, Poland in December 2025. That is the size of 100 football pitches. A UK Midlands facility followed in May 2026, positioning Shein inside the EU and immediately adjacent to one of Europe's largest consumer markets simultaneously. Temu made equivalent moves. Both platforms can now deliver to EU consumers in 2 to 3 days, matching domestic delivery expectations, while competitors shipping from outside the EU are absorbing a per-order customs cost that stacks with every tariff heading in the consignment.

Under the new EU customs regime, a brand shipping three different products to an EU consumer — three tariff headings — pays €9 in customs charges on that single order. At 1,000 orders a month, that is €9,000 in customs costs that EU-local stock eliminates entirely.

From November 2026, the cost of direct shipping increases further. Structured product identifiers (PIDs) become mandatory for every parcel entering the EU, and a €2 customs handling fee applies per consignment. The combined per-item cost for brands shipping from outside the EU rises to approximately €5. The economics of direct shipping worsen on that date and do not improve after it.

• Shein opened a 740,000 sq metre EU hub near Wrocław, Poland in December 2025; UK Midlands facility followed May 2026
• Temu built equivalent EU warehouse capacity; both now supply EU consumers domestically
• EU-local stock clears customs once on the bulk import — every consumer order ships without per-order customs cost
• From November 2026, PIDs become mandatory and a €2 handling fee applies — combined per-item cost rises to approximately €5 for direct shippers

That is what Expandly's Netherlands warehouse does for the brands on the platform. Stock arrives into the EU on the inbound shipment, cleared once. Every EU consumer order ships domestically from there. The €3 per-order customs charge does not apply. November's €5 combined charge does not apply.