Imports of low value goods drop drastically in Q3

The number and total value of goods items in low-value consignments ordered from outside the EU and declared for import into Finland declined sharply after the introduction of a new customs duty on such consignments this summer, said Finnish Customs in a press release on Friday.

Some of the low-value import consignments ordered by Finns are, however, declared in other EU countries or imported in larger volumes before sale into sales warehouses in the EU territory.

The total number of goods items in low-value consignments ordered by Finns from outside the EU dropped by 77% in July–September compared with the same period last year.

The number consists of the goods items declared for import into Finland. In addition to this, some of the low-value import consignments arriving in Finland from outside the EU are declared either in other EU countries or imported into the EU territory through sales warehouses before they arrive in Finland.

When the total number of goods items declined, their total value also dropped by 53% compared with the same period last year.

However, the value of a single goods item increased. In July–September, the average value of a goods item in low-value consignments ordered by Finns from outside the EU and declared for import into Finland was €11.24, whereas the average value a year ago was €5.45.

“The consumers may be grouping a greater number of similar goods in one consignment; in which case the customs duty is only charged once. Consumers may be ordering fewer consignments containing several different types of goods to avoid multiplying the customs duty payable,” said senior customs officer Antti Hästbacka.

The steep decline in the number of goods items may also indicate that both online retailers and consumers are seeking to minimise the customs duties.

“Sellers may have modified their IT systems so that similar goods that were previously declared as separate goods items are now declared under the same goods item,” said Hästbacka.

In July–September, the share of the goods items in low-value import consignments that arrived in Finland from China declined by 1.4 percentage points, while the value of these goods items as a share of the total value decreased by 3.5 percentage points. Regarding all low-value import consignments from outside the EU, the biggest category of goods was articles of plastics.

At the start of July, a new €3 customs duty was imposed for each goods item in online purchases worth up to €150 when such consignments arrive from outside the EU. Such consignments are also referred to as low-value import consignments.