Cyprus is receiving up to 35 per cent fewer parcels from outside the European Union, although the volume of goods being imported has barely changed, as shoppers adjust to new customs charges ahead of a further increase on November 1.

The latest figures from the Customs Department point to a change in purchasing habits rather than a corresponding decline in demand, with consumers increasingly combining several products into a single shipment.

Customs Department spokesman Giorgos Constantinou has told Politis that parcels arriving from third countries have fallen by 30 to 35 per cent since the EU introduced a temporary €3 customs duty on July 1.

However, while shipments previously contained an average of one or two declared product categories, that number has now risen to four or five, leaving the overall volume of goods declared at roughly the same level.

The figures offer a clearer picture of how Cypriots are responding to the charges. Rather than abandoning cheaper international platforms, many appear to be changing how they place their orders.

Indeed, when the duty was first introduced, the July figures showed that more than 100,000 parcels, containing approximately 400,000 declared product categories, had entered Cyprus during the first 15 days of the month.

At the time, Constantinou maintained that purchases from platforms such as Temu and Shein remained attractive despite the additional cost. The latest figures now point to a shift in shipping patterns, although they do not establish whether consumers are spending more or less overall.

The next change comes on November 1, when a new €2 EU handling fee is due to take effect, bringing the combined customs charges on qualifying low-value imports to €5 per distinct product category.

The distinction is important. As explained in earlier reporting, the €3 duty is not imposed simply on each parcel or individual article, but according to the customs classification of the goods it contains.

Under the new arrangements, a parcel containing five identical T-shirts would generally attract €5 in combined charges, while one containing a T-shirt, a watch and a handbag could incur €15, provided the items fall under three different tariff classifications.

Nor does the €150 threshold apply equally to both measures.

The temporary €3 customs duty concerns qualifying consignments worth up to €150, which previously benefited from an exemption. The new €2 handling fee, however, will apply to qualifying online purchases shipped directly from outside the EU regardless of their value.

For more expensive consignments, the handling fee will therefore be added to the normal customs duties applicable to the goods.

Crucially, the charges are imposed on the businesses responsible for importing or declaring the products, rather than automatically billed directly to consumers.

That does not mean shoppers will escape the cost. Online sellers, platforms and delivery operators may incorporate the charges into their prices or recover them from customers, either at checkout or before delivery.

Furthermore, VAT remains payable, although it may already be included in the price charged by the retailer. Consumers should therefore pay attention to the final amount rather than the advertised cost of individual products.

The rules also depend on where goods are dispatched from. Products already imported and released for free circulation within the EU are not treated in the same way as goods shipped directly to consumers from third countries.

For the Customs Department, meanwhile, the July duty is already generating substantial sums.

Constantinou estimated monthly revenue at between €1 million and €1.5 million, although the figures remain provisional. Under the EU’s customs revenue arrangements, 75 per cent is allocated to the European budget, with Cyprus retaining the remaining 25 per cent.

The measures form part of a much wider attempt by Brussels to deal with the enormous growth in low-value imports.

According to European Commission figures, almost 5.9 billion low-value items entered the EU in 2025, compared with 4.6 billion in 2024, an increase of approximately 26 per cent. More than 90 per cent originated from China.

The scale of those shipments has increasingly strained customs administrations, while raising concerns about competition between European retailers and overseas businesses selling directly to consumers.

European companies importing goods in bulk have generally been subject to customs duties, whereas overseas sellers could previously benefit from the exemption on individual consignments below €150.

Brussels argues that removing that advantage will help establish fairer competition while improving oversight of goods entering the European market.

There are also concerns about product safety.

Targeted inspections conducted across the EU in 2025 found that more than 60 per cent of the products examined in categories including toys, cosmetics, electronics, food supplements and protective equipment failed to comply with European requirements.

The findings did not represent all imported goods, but highlighted the difficulty of checking such large volumes of products.

The Commission’s wider customs data also showed that inspection rates had fallen to just 65 items per million imported in 2025, despite nearly 388,000 controls being carried out.

Constantinou said the additional €2 fee was intended to help cover these growing demands, including investment in artificial intelligence, risk-analysis systems, specialised equipment and additional personnel.

Such systems are designed to help customs authorities identify suspicious shipments and focus physical inspections on products presenting a higher risk.

The changes will also bring stricter information requirements. From November 1, product identifiers will become mandatory in relevant import declarations, improving authorities’ ability to trace goods and identify potentially dangerous products.

Under the EU’s broader reform, the temporary €3 duty is scheduled to end in July 2028, when normal customs tariffs will replace the flat-rate system and the EU’s centralised customs data platform begins operating for e-commerce.

The EU customs guidance sets out the transition, which will also place greater responsibility on online platforms and sellers for customs compliance.

For Cyprus, however, the more immediate test will come in the weeks ahead. With Black Friday and Christmas shopping approaching, the Customs Department expects the coming period to provide a better indication of how the additional fee affects demand, delivery patterns and purchasing decisions.

Comparisons should also become more reliable, as Cyprus only began systematically recording these imports through its own electronic customs system in October last year. Previously, some declarations were processed through other EU member states.

What remains to be seen is whether the new charges will be enough to encourage consumers to buy more from European retailers, or whether the price difference will continue to make international platforms attractive.