Selling into the EU from abroad: parcels, EU stock or your own EU company

Three routes, with what each one costs, who is responsible and when it fits. Updated for the €3 duty (1 July 2026) and the €2 Union handling fee (1 November 2026).

Short answer

Ship parcels to each customer: simple to start, but €3 + €2 per item type from 1 November 2026. Ship in bulk to stock in the EU: normal duty once per shipment, with an EU importer and a VAT registration where the stock is. Set up your own EU company: one base for customs, VAT and sales, with more to run. All three need an EU responsible person for consumer products.

Last reviewed: October 2026

The three routes side by side

The EU sets the duty and the fees. Warehouses and service providers set their own prices.

	Ship parcels to customers	Ship in bulk to EU stock	Your own EU company
How it works	Each order goes from outside the EU to the customer	One shipment goes into a warehouse in the EU; orders ship from there	Your EU company imports in its own name and sells from stock
Who declares at customs	The carrier, the platform or you	An EU importer: Noda, as indirect customs representative	Your EU company
EU charges per parcel	€3 per item type up to €150 (since 1 July 2026) + €2 per item type (from 1 November 2026)	None: normal duty once per bulk shipment*	None: normal duty once per bulk shipment*
Import VAT	Up to €150: the customer's VAT at checkout, through an IOSS intermediary such as Noda. Above €150: at the border	At import, through a VAT registration where the goods enter. In Estonia, Noda is your VAT representative	Your company's own VAT number
EU responsible person	Needed	Needed	Your company, as importer
Fits	A few dozen orders a month, a test market	Hundreds of orders a month and more	Sales to businesses, a long horizon in the EU
What Noda does	EU Responsible Person, Packaging EPR	Importer of record, Stock in Estonia, Returns, responsible person, EPR	Stock and returns. We don't set up companies

* When the goods are sold to the consumer after import. Goods sold before import still count as parcels. Shipments to business buyers never pay €3 or €2.

The same 1,000 orders, three ways

Public EU charges only, two item types per parcel, €25,000 of goods a month, from 1 November 2026.

Ship parcels

€10,000 a month

1,000 parcels × 2 item types × (€3 + €2). VAT comes on top, through IOSS.

Ship in bulk to EU stock

≈€2,000 a month

Illustration: €25,000 of goods at an 8% duty rate, paid once per bulk shipment, with no charge per parcel. Your rate depends on your product codes (TARIC). Warehouse and shipping at the warehouse's own rates, which you see first.

Your own EU company

≈€2,000 a month

The same duty as bulk shipping, plus the cost of setting up and running the company.

Three questions before you choose

How many orders a month go to the EU?

A few dozen: parcels can still fit. Hundreds or more: compare the cost of stock in the EU.

How many item types does a parcel hold?

Each extra item type adds €3 + €2 to a parcel up to €150. Mixed baskets get expensive fast.

Who are your customers?

Consumers on marketplaces: stock and a responsible person. Businesses: an importer of record, or your own EU company.

Plan ahead: by 1 December 2027 the European Commission assesses whether to propose keeping the €3 duty after July 2028. EU parcel rules 2026 →

Where your stock should sit

We work from Estonia, and we'll tell you when another base fits better.

Estonia

Customers in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Baltics. Tallinn–Helsinki by cargo ferry in 2 h to 2 h 45.

Germany, the Netherlands, Poland

Most of your customers are in Central or Western Europe.

Latvia, Lithuania

Lower labour costs than Estonia. Worth comparing for large, slow-moving stock.

Typical situations

Typical setups, not client stories. Yours may combine two of them.

Marketplace seller

Situation: You sell on Amazon, eBay, Etsy or Temu and ship from outside the EU. The marketplace asks for an EU responsible person.
Route: Parcels for now. Stock in the EU when volumes grow.
Roles you need: EU responsible person; packaging registration in your countries of sale.
Services: EU Responsible Person · Packaging EPR

Brand moving from parcels to EU stock

Situation: Your own shop and marketplaces, hundreds of orders a month. €3 + €2 per item type eat the margin.
Route: Bulk shipments to stock in Estonia.
Roles you need: Importer and VAT representative (Noda), responsible person, packaging registration, a warehouse.
Services: Importer of record · Stock in Estonia · Returns · EPR

Manufacturer selling to businesses

Situation: EU buyers ask who the importer is and want the goods delivered cleared.
Route: Shipments to buyers or to stock, with an EU importer.
Roles you need: Importer and VAT representative (Noda); a responsible person for consumer products.
Services: Importer of record · EU Responsible Person

EU brand expanding north

Situation: Your company is in the EU. You want Finland, Sweden, Norway or the Baltics.
Route: Stock in Estonia, or shipping from your own EU warehouse.
Roles you need: No importer or responsible person inside the EU. Packaging registration per country. Customs for Norway.
Services: Packaging EPR · Stock in Estonia · Nordics and Baltics

Changing your EU provider

Situation: Your warehouse, forwarder or representative stopped answering. Listings or goods are blocked.
Route: Roles first: a new mandate and new label data. Then the stock, starting with a test shipment.
Roles you need: The ones your old provider held. We map who holds what today before we start.
Services: Responsible Person · Importer · Stock · contract with clear exit terms

Our roles and our partners

Noda takes the EU roles: importer, responsible person, VAT and packaging representative in Estonia. Partner warehouses in Estonia store and ship your goods; local partners register packaging in other countries. You see each partner's own price before you decide.

How we work →

Sources: Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382; Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2026/1022 and 2026/2152; Union Customs Code, Regulation (EU) 952/2013, Article 170; Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 (new Union Customs Code); Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), Article 16; Council Directive 2006/112/EC (IOSS, OSS). Last reviewed: October 2026.

Not sure which route fits?

Tell us your volumes, products and customers. You get a proposal with every price.

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