German online sales of Temu, Shein and AliExpress fall 35.5% after EU parcel duties

Revenue drop in the third quarter

Temu, Shein and AliExpress generated 566 million euros in Germany in the third quarter of 2026, down 35.5% from the same quarter a year earlier, according to the BEVH. The figures were published on Friday, 9 October. BEVH managing director Alien Mulyk said the rapid growth of Temu and Shein had stalled, and she attributed the decline mainly to higher charges on small parcels arriving from non-EU countries.

Duties on small parcels

The duty-free threshold of 150 euros for shipments from outside the EU was removed in July. Since then every such parcel is subject to customs clearance and a flat fee of 3 euros per product category, regardless of its contents. A handling fee of 2 euros is added from November. The EU's stated aim, as reported by Deutsche Welle, is to stop imports of large volumes of cheap goods that do not meet European standards and to limit unfair competition from foreign online retailers.

Market share and overall online sales

The combined share of the three largest Asian platforms in Germany's online retail market fell to 3.1% in the third quarter, from 5.3% in the second quarter. The share had risen sharply before that and reached a record level, the BEVH said. Overall German online sales grew 2.9% year on year in the July to September period, a figure that does not account for inflation. Growth was stronger between April and June, at 5.0%. The association attributed the slowdown to weaker consumer sentiment.

Industry response

The BEVH said the EU measures are not sufficient. Mulyk argued that the higher charges were hitting low-price products from Asia with thin margins.

The low-margin, low-price products from Asia are being hit hard by the higher duties.

She called on the bloc to step up enforcement against low-cost imports that break existing rules.

To ensure fair competition, the EU must strengthen market surveillance authorities and enforce existing law.