The European Union will start collecting a three-euro flat fee for each small parcel valued below €150 (US$176) sent directly from a non-EU country to customers in the bloc, following a decision adopted by the EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday. The move, set to kick in next July, marks a milestone in…
Published December 12, 2025 The principle has been agreed, but the practical details have yet to be worked out. From July 1, a three-euro tax will be applied to small non-EU parcels entering the European Union, marking the end of the tax exemption for parcels under 150 euros, in a bid to rein in Shein…
Temu’s European headquarters in Dublin were raided by EU regulators last week on concerns about potential Chinese state subsidies granted to the online retailer, a subsidiary of China’s e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Temu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The raid comes amid increasing…
Published November 24, 2025 After two bleak years, Italian fashion can see light at the end of the tunnel, yet new challenges are casting a shadow over the recovery—from the influx of low-cost Chinese fashion to the mainstream narrative that delegitimises the Made in Italy system. The president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Carlo…
EU states on Thursday agreed to scrap a bloc-wide duty exemption on low-value orders from the likes of retail giants Temu and Shein to help tackle a flood of cheap Chinese imports. Currently there is no levy on packages worth less than 150 euros ($174) imported directly to consumers in the 27-nation bloc, in many…
By Reuters Published November 12, 2025 Italy is working to adopt a tax on low-value postal packages from non-European countries, politicians said, as part of measures to protect its fashion industry from low-cost foreign imports mostly from China. Temu is known for its low priced fashion and lifestyle goods – Shutterstock The move, aimed at…
On Friday, Amazon announced the debut of Amazon Bazaar, a new low-cost shopping destination for Asia, Africa, and Latin America that will be available separately from the main Amazon shopping app. On Bazaar, most products are available under $10, and some are as low as $2, the retailer says. The product selection, available now on Android and…
An old conflict has flared between yarn producers and clothing manufacturers in Colombia. The government of Gustavo Petro will eliminate a 10% tariff on raw materials to benefit those who turn them into apparel. “If Colombian garment manufacturers can reduce financial, energy, and input costs, they could become one of Colombia’s major exporters,” the president…
Super Typhoon Ragasa disrupted production of Apple’s iPhones in Shenzhen and crucial pre-holiday shipments by cross-border e-commerce merchants, as the year’s strongest storm barrelled towards southern China with heavy rain and hurricane-force winds. The world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology Group, on Tuesday suspended assembly work at its Shenzhen unit – the innovative Product…
Mexico is preparing to raise tariffs on Chinese imports of automobiles, textiles and plastics, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, under a proposal expected to be part of the 2026 budget to be submitted to the nation’s Congress next month. If confirmed, the increase would mark one of Mexico’s sharpest trade shifts in recent years. Officials…