Customs duty exemption: German states demand abolition for non-European online retailers

The German government has been called upon to lobby at the EU level for the rapid abolition of customs duty exemptions for non-European e-commerce platforms. This is the demand of the German states of Bavaria and Hamburg for the Conference of Economics Ministers on Nov. 21. The customs duty exemption limit currently stands at €150. This benefits Chinese online retailers such as Temu and Shein. „Furthermore, it can be observed that this exemption limit is being exploited to avoid customs duties on goods with a higher material value, for example by splitting shipments into several individual packages or under-declaring the value of the goods“, the draft resolution states.