It’s one of those things you can’t quite imagine living without anymore. Cheap little “nonsense” items or, let’s be honest, cheap little essentials, just got a bit less cheap. As of this week, orders from Temu and Shein incur an extra \u20ac3 in customs duty per item. In an RTL Direkt interview, marketing expert David Perani\u0107 weighed in on what that actually means for shoppers and the platforms themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Perani\u0107, that remains to be seen, but based on how the change was announced, he doesn’t expect any major drop-off. Even with the added customs fee, prices on these platforms will still undercut local retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perani\u0107 points out that ultra-low pricing is very much the bait, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Platforms like Temu lean heavily on psychological triggers, including that particular thrill of getting something that feels “free.” At this point, he says, a large share of shoppers have built the habit, and the initial hesitation people once felt about ordering from an unfamiliar platform has largely disappeared. For that reason, he doesn’t see the new customs charge as a real threat to their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n