EU duties on parcels: impact on Posta svizzera

Context

In brief

• The EU imposes a 3 euro duty per item from third countries
• Posta svizzera parcels to the EU have fallen by a double-digit percentage
• Pascal Grieder expects a gradual return to normal
• Grieder cites Temu's European warehouses

Key facts

• Measure → flat-rate duty of 3 euro for each item
• Effective date → from July
• Responsible parties → sellers or importers
• Effect on Posta svizzera → double-digit decline in parcels to the EU
• Company mentioned → Temu

Since July, the European Union has imposed a flat-rate duty of 3 euro for each item coming from a third country. The measure concerns small parcels and has also had repercussions for Posta svizzera: the number of parcels sent to the EU has fallen by a double-digit percentage.

The figure was reported by Pascal Grieder, director of Posta svizzera, in an interview with Schweiz am Wochenende. The executive adds that the situation should gradually return to normal. This forecast accompanies a critical assessment of the measure's objective: Grieder doubts that protecting the market from Chinese imports will actually be achieved.

The rule and the consequences indicated

The duty is flat-rate: the source indicates the same unit amount, 3 euro, for each item coming from a third country. In principle, payment is the responsibility of the seller or importer. Some merchants, however, pass this amount on to consumers. The rule therefore identifies a main responsible party, while the cost may reach whoever makes the purchase.

Grieder's point concerns the organization of shipments. The executive cites Temu, a low-cost Chinese online sales site, and reports that companies like this are opening large warehouses in Europe. Parcels are shipped from those warehouses and, according to his assessment, thus avoid paying the fee. For Grieder, this step calls into question the practical effectiveness of the duty in relation to the stated objective of protecting the market from Chinese imports.

The connection with Switzerland emerges from the data on Posta svizzera's volumes: the European measure is described not only as a rule for sellers and importers, but also as a change that has already had repercussions on Posta svizzera shipments to the EU. The director indicates a decline expressed as a double-digit percentage and expects a gradual recovery. The news thus brings together a new European duty, a different organization of shipments, and a response observed in Swiss postal activity.

Operational details

How to read the impact

To understand the practical effect of the duty, it is necessary to keep distinct the origin of the item, the party required to pay, and the price ultimately borne by the consumer. The source does not present these three elements as equivalent: the measure indicates the amount per item coming from a third country; the seller or importer is responsible in principle; some merchants may pass on the cost. For anyone observing a final price, this distinction avoids confusing the party responsible for payment with the one who ultimately bears the amount.

Three elements to keep separate

The first element to consider is therefore the unit to which the source links the duty: the item. The measure is flat-rate and refers to each item coming from a third country. This wording helps interpret the rule without turning it into a calculation based on the total price of the package.

The second element is the allocation of the burden. Responsibility in principle remains with the seller or importer; the consumer may, however, bear the cost when the merchant passes it on. For those comparing offers, the point to verify is whether the merchant passes on the amount, without confusing the responsible party with the party that actually pays.

The third element is logistics. Grieder uses Temu to show that opening large warehouses in Europe may make it possible to ship from there while avoiding the tax. Its criticism concerns precisely the gap between the objective of protecting the market from Chinese imports and the result achieved through a different shipping route.

To place this reading alongside a broader spending picture, one can consult costo della vita in Svizzera. When the reference remains in euros, comparatore CHF/EUR helps keep the conversion distinct from the duty described in the source.

Useful tools to protect your net income

To reduce FX leakage, compare CHF-EUR exchange options and banks for cross-border workers.

Key points

Checklist for reading the cost

To assess a shipment to the EU using only the available information, the reader can follow a short sequence. The aim is to separate the item's origin, the party responsible for payment, and any transfer of the cost.

1. Verify the origin. Start with the question indicated by the rule: does the item come from a third country? If so, the relevant financial benchmark is the flat-rate duty of 3 euro for each item. 2. Identify the unit. The measure mentioned concerns each item. Therefore, keep the unit amount separate from the package's total price. 3. Identify the responsible party. In principle, payment is the responsibility of the seller or importer. This is the first party to link to the tax. 4. Check the transfer. Some merchants pass the amount on to consumers. The check to perform is whether the cost remains with the merchant or reaches the buyer.

For those shipping to the EU

Those who use the Posta svizzera to send parcels to the EU can read the source's figure as an indicator of the trend: the volume of shipments has fallen by a double-digit percentage. There is no need to turn this wording into a more precise figure. Grieder expects a gradual return to normality, so the forecast describes a recovery phase without setting an immediate transition.

The Temu case provides a further check of the route. The source links the opening of large warehouses in Europe to the possibility of shipping from there while avoiding payment of the tax. When comparing two sales or shipping methods, it is therefore necessary to note separately the origin in a third country and any dispatch from a European warehouse. These are the two logistical elements compared in the interview.

The amount indicated by the source remains denominated in euro. To compare the amount with a budget expressed in francs, comparatore CHF/EUR can be used. To complete the check of your personal budget, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch