Parcel duty revenue collected by Cyprus Customs reached almost €2 million during the first month of the measure’s implementation in July.
The €3 charge per item was introduced on July 1 for small packages imported into the European Union from third countries, with a value of up to €150.
According to Customs Department spokesperson George Constantinou, July revenue reached almost €2 million from 650,000 items included in 160,000 parcels.
Imports show slight decline after measure
Mr Constantinou said that a relative decrease in small parcel imports was recorded compared with previous months.
However, he noted that this could be linked to several factors. He explained that consumers may have placed more orders before the introduction of the charge to avoid paying the additional cost.
He also pointed out that July is traditionally a holiday month, which may have contributed to lower order numbers.
Mr Constantinou said it would become clearer in the coming months whether the parcel duty has changed consumer behaviour.
He added that authorities were also monitoring how companies respond, including decisions on where they maintain warehouses and whether they send products directly to customers.
According to him, the overall impact is expected to become clearer after three to four months.
Customs reports smooth implementation
Asked whether the new administrative workload created problems, Mr Constantinou said there were no significant difficulties.
He explained that some adjustments were needed during the first days while calculations and collection procedures were integrated into the accounting system.
He said the process has now been normalised.
Consumers raised initial questions
Regarding possible complaints from citizens, Mr Constantinou said no complaints had been recorded.
He noted that some questions were raised during the first days about whether orders would be charged, depending on when they were placed.
Following implementation, he said consumers understood that the charge does not significantly affect the overall price and estimated that order levels would return to previous levels.
Also read: How to calculate the €3 charge on SHEIN and Temu orders
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