The new customs charge on items being purchased from outside the EU are making Irish consumers rethink their online shopping habits.
As we enter into the run up to Christmas, many people will be using online shopping outlets to buy gifts and decorations, but more will be looking to shop local instead.
In July of this year, a flat €3 customs duty per product item was brought in, and applies to low-value consumer imports valued at €150 or less.
As of November 1, an additional handling fee of €2 (plus VAT) has also been applied for shipments outside of the EU.
On The Claire Byne Show, Newstalk reporter Simon Tierney shared his investigation into how shoppers are shifting their purchasing habits as a result of these fees, and many are planning to shop either locally or on second-hand websites such as Vinted.
One shopper told Simon: "I'm maybe more likely to like come in and get stuff [in person]." Her friend added: "We are doing vintage/Vinted shopping. Secondhand. You don't need to buy [new] clothes anymore."
The pair added that when shipping fees are also taken into account, the added customs and handling fees mean that an item you've bought for €5, is more likely to cost €15 after these charges.
Another shopper said that they wouldn't purchase online outside the EU unless it's something that they can't get in Ireland.
Mr Tierney added that in 2025, 5.7 billion small packages entered European homes, with 90% of them coming from Chinese websites such as Temu and Shein.
He also spoke with Dutch MEP Dirk Gotink, who has been spearheading the project to help combat the number of items entering the EU from China.
He said that they have seen a significant reduction (around 40%) in packages coming in through the Netherlands and Belgium, with the two countries making up around 50% of all imports into the European market).
He continued: "In the Netherlands, around 16 million packages per day [were coming in last year]. So we're talking significant reductions of 4 or 5 million packages less per day. That makes a huge difference.
"And it is basically confirmation of what we always thought. If these packages start paying taxes, they will become unprofitable because in fact, it is near trash.
"It is profitable trash for producers in China. And we have now created a system that basically gets rid of a very toxic business model."
Mr Tierney challenged Mr Gotink on this "trash" remark, saying how it could be seen as "elitist judgement", to which he highlighted how many of the products being purchased are non-compliant with health and safety standards.
He shared: "I understand the cost of living issues related to this. However, 60, 70, 80% of all the imports have been deemed non-compliant with our health and safety standards.
"You're talking about makeup that is dangerous for your skin. You're talking about chargers and batteries that are unsafe, that are inflammable.
"These are things that put the health and safety of consumers in Europe at risk. And I'm sorry, but this is something that should not be on our market at all. And that's why I qualify it as such."
Main image: Online shopping platforms Temu and Shein app icons seen in an iPhone. Image: Koshiro K / Alamy Stock Photo
