New EU customs regulations change how goods enter the European Union from non-member countries. Because all Papello orders are currently printed and dispatched from our production facilities here in the United Kingdom, these adjustments will alter how your packages are processed at the EU border.
Review our breakdown of the updated rules below and learn about the steps we are taking to protect your e-commerce margins.
What exactly is changing?
The European Union has removed the long-standing €150 customs duty exemption.
Any parcel valued at €150 or less entering an EU member state from outside the single market (which includes all shipments originating from our UK facilities) will now face a standard, flat import duty of €3 per item.
Where will I see this fee on my dashboard?
To keep your bookkeeping completely transparent, Papello applies this fee directly at the checkout stage. When you place a manual order, or when an automated order syncs from Shopify or Etsy, the €3 charge will be clearly itemised and displayed under the line item "Duties" before you pay.
Is this a permanent structural change?
No, this is a transitional strategy. The flat €3 surcharge is a temporary measure designed to ease the system into the new framework. It will remain active until 1 July 2028, at which point the EU will transition to standard, product-specific percentage tariffs.
Are there any other hidden entry fees?
An additional EU courier handling fee of roughly €2 per package has been proposed for introduction later down the line. However, the exact pricing and launch date have not yet been formalised by border authorities. We will post a new dashboard notice as soon as these details are locked in.
How does this affect my Papello storefront?
Because Papello currently manufactures our entire product range locally within the UK, every single order addressed to a European customer is classified as a cross-border shipment. This means your EU deliveries will fall under these new regulations.
What steps is Papello taking to fix this?
We are actively building an international solution. Our team is currently sourcing, auditing, and setting up partnerships with premium, local print facilities directly inside the EU. Our absolute priority is establishing local European fulfilment hubs for our core product ranges. Once active, these local routes will print and pack your orders inside the EU border, allowing your packages to bypass international customs entirely.
Will all products be localised at the exact same time?
No, this roll-out will happen in stages. We are fast-tracking our highest-volume product families (like our museum-grade fine art prints and core mugs). More specialised items or low-volume stationery configurations may take a little longer to establish with our new European partners. For those slower-moving lines, you will want to temporarily factor the flat €3 duty into your international retail margins.
Is this a unique issue affecting Papello?
Not at all. This is a massive, universal shift across global e-commerce. Every single print-on-demand platform, independent online brand, marketplace, and shipping courier operating outside of the EU is adapting to these exact same border regulations simultaneously.
What should I do next?
Analyse your European sales: Check your dashboard orders to see how many items you regularly ship to the EU.
Review your retail pricing: Consider adding a slight buffer to your EU shipping profiles or retail prices to comfortably absorb the temporary €3 fee.
Watch out for our upcoming updates: Alongside our European localisation audits, we are in the final stages of testing major improvements to our core shipping models. We will announce full integration details the moment our new EU hubs go live.