Drastic drop in orders from China: Customs duties have reduced imports by 72%
Romanians who used to order cheap products from China have started to give up this habit in recent months. Recent data show a major shift in consumer behavior, caused mainly by new tax regulations applied to parcels coming from outside the European Union.
According to information provided by Spotmedia, the volume of parcels entering the country from China has decreased significantly. This reduction in deliveries has led to a drastic drop in revenues collected by the state from customs duties and VAT, recording a 72% decrease compared to previous periods.
The change occurred after authorities eliminated tax exemptions for low-value products. Currently, every parcel entering Romania from outside the EU is subject to stricter customs procedures, which has caused the final price of products to increase considerably for the Romanian buyer.
For many consumers, the advantage of the low price has disappeared, as additional taxes and processing costs make the purchase no longer as attractive. Thus, many Romanians are now turning to local stores or European platforms to avoid bureaucracy and high customs costs.
This situation reflects the direct impact that the new tax policies have on international e-commerce. It remains to be seen how Chinese sales platforms will adapt to these new conditions and whether the volume of orders will return to the level from before the introduction of the taxes.