The New EU Import Rules Are Here. Is Your Current Fulfilment Strategy Still Cost-Effective?

If you’re a UK retailer selling directly to customers across Europe, the new EU import rules could have a direct impact on your fulfilment costs, pricing strategy and customer experience.

With the new customs rules now in effect, low-value shipments entering the EU from outside the region are subject to additional duties and customs requirements. While the objective is to create a level playing field, the key question for businesses is much simpler:

What will this mean for my costs, and is my current fulfilment model still the right one?

For many businesses, this isn’t just a regulatory change, it’s an opportunity to reassess how they serve customers across Europe and ensure their fulfilment strategy continues to support profitable growth.

What do the new rules mean for your business?

From now on, every shipment entering the EU with a value below €150 may incur additional costs and administrative requirements.

Businesses shipping directly from the UK now need to consider:

A fixed customs duty of €3 per item type
Import VAT, carrier clearance and handling fees
Additional customs data requirements, increasing administration and the likelihood of customs inspections or delays

While each of these changes may seem manageable on its own, together they can significantly increase the cost of fulfilling orders into the EU, particularly for businesses shipping high volumes of low-value or multi-item orders.

Consider a customer ordering a T-shirt, a cap and a water bottle. What was once a straightforward cross-border shipment may now include a €3 duty for each product type, alongside VAT, customs clearance and additional processing requirements.

Multiply those additional costs across hundreds or thousands of orders, and the impact on profitability quickly becomes clear.

Is there a smarter way to serve European customers?

Many UK brands are now taking the opportunity to review their fulfilment strategy.

Rather than shipping every order individually from the UK, they’re exploring whether positioning inventory within the EU could reduce costs, simplify operations and create a better customer experience.

Depending on your business model, an EU fulfilment strategy can help you:

Reduce overall fulfilment costs
Deliver orders faster across Europe
Minimise customs touchpoints
Improve pricing predictability
Create a smoother customer experience

The right solution depends on your products, order profile and long-term growth plans—but the new rules make this the ideal time to evaluate your options.

Does direct shipping still make sense?

For some businesses, the answer is yes.

Direct shipping may continue to be the right choice if your orders typically:

Have a high average order value
Contain a single product type
Generate sufficient margins to absorb the additional import costs

However, if you regularly ship low-value, multi-item orders into Europe, it may be worth assessing whether an alternative fulfilment model could deliver greater efficiency and lower overall costs.

Assess the impact on your business

Every business has a different product mix, order profile and growth strategy. That means the impact of the new EU import rules will vary from one retailer to another.

At Radial, we work with UK brands to assess how these changes affect their current fulfilment model and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs and support future growth.

Whether your existing approach remains the right fit or an EU-based fulfilment model offers greater value, making an informed decision starts with understanding the numbers.

The new rules are here. Now is the time to make sure your fulfilment strategy is working just as hard as your business.