Hold your stock in Italy
The EU's 1 July 2026 customs reset put a duty on every low-value parcel posted across the border into Europe. Import in bulk, hold your stock in our Italian warehouse, and ship every order domestically: no per-parcel duty, no handling fee, and delivery in 24 to 48 hours across Italy.
What changed on 1 July 2026
Until 1 July, a parcel worth €150 or less entered the EU free of customs duty. That exemption is gone. In its place comes a flat charge on every low-value parcel shipped in from outside the EU, and it lands in two steps.
- The €150 duty-free threshold on low-value parcels was removed on 1 July 2026.
- A temporary flat customs duty of €3 per item now applies to consignments worth €150 or less, set by Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382 and running until 1 July 2028.
- A €2 customs handling fee per declaration line follows no later than 1 November 2026, taking the combined charge to €5 per line.
- Product identifiers become mandatory on these declarations from November 2026.
Figures cited directly from the European Commission: removal of the €150 exemption · temporary flat-fee guidance and legal text
What the reset adds to every parcel
The charge is flat, so it bites hardest on small orders. €3 today, and €5 once the handling fee starts, weighs the same on a €12 order as on a €120 one. On low-value, high-frequency ranges that is a direct cut to your margin on every parcel you send in, stacked on top of the international postage and slower transit that cross-border already costs you.
The way around it: import once, hold stock in Italy
The reset rewards one move. Clear customs once on a bulk import, hold your European stock inside the EU, and every order after that ships domestically. One customs event replaces thousands of border crossings.
- One inbound, then domestic shipping. You clear customs once on the bulk import; every customer order after that ships inside the EU, free of the per-parcel duty and handling fee.
- 24 to 48 hour delivery across Italy. From our Lombardy warehouse to the whole country, on our own carrier mix rather than a single cross-border line.
- Your channels, one stock pool. Amazon.it, your Shopify or WooCommerce store, and 100+ marketplaces through Qapla', all shipping from the same inventory.
- Fewer failed deliveries. Our Iris tool auto-corrects around 90% of bad Italian addresses before dispatch, so parcels arrive first time.
- Temperature-controlled storage. Supplements, cosmetics and other sensitive goods held in dedicated conditions from receipt to dispatch.
Need help importing? If you do not have an Italian entity or VAT number to bring the goods in under, our Importer and Merchant of Record service acts as the importer for you, and your stock flows straight into our warehouse. Explore Importer & Merchant of Record
Cross-border versus holding stock in Italy
| Ship cross-border | Hold stock in Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Customs duty per parcel | €3 per item, on orders of €150 or less | None; duty paid once on the bulk import |
| Handling fee (from Nov 2026) | €2 per declaration line | None per order |
| Combined per-line charge | Up to €5 per line | €0 per order |
| Delivery time in Italy | 5+ days, subject to customs holds | 24 to 48 hours, domestic |
| Customs events | One per parcel | One per bulk import |
| Product identifiers | Mandatory per declaration from Nov 2026 | Handled once at import |
Read more and go deeper
For the full breakdown of the reset with the European Commission sources, read the explainer. If you sell into Italy from outside the EU without an Italian entity or VAT number, our Importer and Merchant of Record page covers that route.
Tailored quote in 24 hours.
No call required. Tell us your monthly volume and product type — we'll come back with pricing and availability.
Stop paying duty on every parcel
Tell us what you sell and where your stock sits today, and we will map out how import-and-hold would run for your range, from the bulk inbound to domestic delivery.