The customer, Lena, ordered two books from a Swedish discount online bookstore in early June. One book was delivered from a Swedish publisher within a few days. The other book got stuck in customs at Arlanda on July 1st, the same day the new customs rules came into effect.
The book, which originally cost 133 kronor, was levied with an additional 133 kronor in fees. The cost consisted of 33 kronor in customs duty and 100 kronor in declaration fee from the delivery company. According to the customer, there was no information in the purchase flow that the goods would be shipped from an actor outside the EU.
I was surprised that it hadn't appeared anywhere, neither on the website nor when I received the order confirmation, says Lena to Sveriges Radio Kulturnytt.
The fact that the order was placed a month before the new regulations were implemented is irrelevant to the fee liability. Stefan Björkencrona, expert at the Swedish Customs Agency, clarifies that it is the date of arrival that governs.
There are no transitional rules. If you ordered a long time ago and you receive the shipment today, yesterday or tomorrow, then there is 3 euros in customs duty per item, he says.
As Ehandel.se previously reported, the new EU rules mean that the customs exemption for shipments worth less than 150 euros from countries outside the EU is abolished. The fee, which amounts to the equivalent of 3 euros (33 kronor), is charged per individual item and not per package. In addition to this, shipping companies' own declaration fees are often added. The purpose of the legislative amendment is to level the playing field between e-commerce companies in and outside Europe, and to ensure that imported products meet established safety requirements.
Ahead of the rule change, the Swedish Customs Agency conducted a survey which showed that the new costs are expected to affect Swedish purchasing behavior. According to the measurement, 14 percent of consumers stated that they will completely stop shopping from countries outside the EU, and 24 percent that they will do so to a lesser extent.