The EU just fired a shot across the bow at Shein and Temu

Could the era of the super cheap phone case arriving from China in a week finally be ending? Thanks to a major change to European regulations, it just might.

European Union finance ministers have agreed to impose customs duties on low-value parcels entering the bloc at some point next year, scrapping the long-standing “de minimis” exemption for goods under €150 (or $175). The move is seen as a way to slow the flood of cheap Chinese imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu. These goods now account for the bulk of the EU’s 4.6 billion small parcels a year, more than 90% of which came from China.

The EU’s move follows the U.S. government’s decision to destroy its own de minimis waiver for Chinese e-commerce products.

Because companies like Shein and Temu depend on shipping huge volume