International parcels drop by 32% after EU imposes surcharge

The 32% figure refers to the number of parcels sent from outside the European Union. PostNL reported this drop over the last three months covered by its latest quarterly report. It measures parcel volume, not the company’s total turnover or every type of delivery.

The decline was linked mainly to packages coming from Asia. The EU introduced a €3 surcharge per product on July 1. PostNL said the new charge was part of tighter EU restrictions and mainly reduced deliveries from Asian websites.

The fall matters because international parcels are an important part of PostNL’s delivery business. A 40% rise in parcels moving within the EU partly offset the loss, but PostNL said that growth was more than wiped out by the decline in deliveries from farther away. The company expects the trend to continue after another fee increase.

The €3 surcharge is an additional EU charge applied to each product arriving in parcels from outside the European Union. It began on July 1. The article presents it as part of tighter EU restrictions affecting international deliveries and online shopping.

The measure raises the cost of goods shipped from outside the bloc. For example, a parcel containing several separately charged products could face a larger total surcharge than one containing a single product. PostNL said the charge mainly contributed to a fall in packages being sent from Asia.

The article does not explain the EU’s precise reason for introducing the fee. It does show the commercial effect: Asian websites lost trade to European rivals, while parcels moving within the EU increased by 40% year on year in the third quarter. The fee will rise by another €2 next month.

The previous-quarter fall was 15%. That means the decline in parcels from outside the EU became substantially steeper in the following three-month period, when the reported drop reached 32%.

The article connects the worsening trend to the €3 surcharge introduced on July 1. It also says import fees will increase by a further €2 from next month. This would bring the stated surcharge to €5 per product, assuming the increase applies to the same charge.

However, PostNL does not say how many additional parcels will disappear after that increase. It only expects the downward trend to continue. The company’s report therefore provides a direction, not a numerical forecast. The precise future fall cannot be calculated from the figures given, because the article supplies no estimate of the surcharge’s effect.

Packages from Asia were affected most because PostNL identified them as the main source of the international decline. The new EU measures applied to products arriving from outside the bloc, which included goods shipped by Asian websites.

The immediate mechanism was the €3 surcharge per product introduced on July 1. By adding a charge to imported products, the measures changed the cost of ordering from outside the EU. The article says Asian websites lost trade to European rivals as a result.

The source does not provide a detailed breakdown of Asian countries, product types, or customer behaviour. It does show the outcome clearly: parcels from outside the EU fell by 32% over three months, after a 15% fall in the previous quarter. The fee will rise by another €2, and PostNL expects the decline to continue.

European parcel deliveries grew by 40% within the EU compared with the third quarter of the previous year. This increase followed a shift in trade as Asian websites lost business to European rivals after the new EU measures.

The key mechanism was substitution. When imported products from outside the bloc became subject to a €3 surcharge per product, some trade moved toward websites and sellers operating within the EU. Parcels travelling inside the bloc therefore increased, while deliveries from farther away declined.

The growth was not large enough to protect PostNL’s international parcel volumes. PostNL said the 40% rise was “more than wiped out” by the drop in deliveries from outside the EU. The company’s turnover still increased by €6 million to €768 million in the third quarter, partly after relaxed rules on deliveries, but the parcel shift remained a major business issue.

PostNL is a postal service that delivers letters and parcels. It reported that parcels sent from outside the EU fell by 32% over three months. The decline mainly involved deliveries from Asia and followed tighter EU measures.

The business mechanism is a change in delivery mix. Parcels within the EU rose by 40% compared with the third quarter of the previous year, as Asian websites lost trade to European rivals. However, PostNL said this growth was more than wiped out by the fall in deliveries from farther away.

PostNL’s turnover still rose by €6 million to €768 million in the third quarter. The company also benefited from relaxed delivery rules, including a move from one-day to two-day letter delivery. PostNL expects international parcel weakness to continue after the import fee rises by another €2. Its CEO is seeking compensation and a structural regulatory solution.

Import fees and customs rules affect the final cost and process of buying goods across borders. A charge on imported products can make overseas orders less attractive, while customs requirements can add checks, paperwork, or delays. These rules influence both consumer choices and delivery routes.

The article gives a clear example. After the EU imposed a €3 surcharge per product on July 1, parcels from outside the EU fell by 32% over three months. Asian websites lost trade to European rivals, and parcels moving within the EU increased by 40% compared with the previous year’s third quarter.

This shifts activity through supply chains. Fewer goods travel directly from Asia to EU consumers, while more orders can move between EU locations. The article says the surcharge will rise by another €2 next month, and PostNL expects the decline in outside-EU parcels to continue.