DHL Suspends Globalmail Shipments from the UK to Europe Due to EU Customs Rules
DHL Globalmail has decided to temporarily suspend certain e-commerce shipments from the United Kingdom to EU countries due to the European Union’s (EU) new customs regulations, which will come into force on July 1. The decision will particularly affect UK-based online sellers using the DHL Globalmail service.
As of July 1, the European Union will introduce a new customs procedure for low-value parcels worth up to €150 sent from outside the EU to member states. Under this framework, a fixed fee of €3 is planned to be applied to low-value e-commerce parcels.
DHL Globalmail Is Not Ready for the New Process
Under the new system, for postal services such as Globalmail, customs duties and related fees will need to be paid by the sender or declarant rather than the recipient. This means additional data sharing, new declaration processes, and operational obligations for sellers.
According to British news platform ChannelX, the DHL Globalmail service is currently unable to support this process because it does not have a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) solution, under which the fees would be covered by the seller. Although DHL stated that it is working on such a solution, it has not provided a date for when the system will be ready.
Service to Be Suspended on June 24
As an unwanted but necessary consequence, DHL will temporarily suspend low-value parcels containing goods sent to the EU under Globalmail as of Wednesday, June 24. The final collection day will be Tuesday, June 23.
The suspension only applies to shipments containing goods sent to the European Union through DHL Globalmail. DHL Express services will remain available. In addition, UK online sellers that hold inventory within the European Union will not be affected by this change.
The EU Aims to Reduce the Flow of Unsafe Products
Brussels’ new regulations aim to control the flow of low-value products sent directly to consumers in the EU from third countries, particularly China. Last year, 5.8 billion low-value e-commerce parcels entered the European Union. This represents a 26 percent increase compared to the previous year.
EU inspections have found that many products shipped directly to consumers from third countries do not comply with product safety and regulatory standards. For this reason, in addition to the temporary customs fee, a permanent handling fee of approximately €2 per parcel is also on the agenda. This fee is expected to take effect on November 1, but the date has not yet been officially confirmed.
DHL’s decision is regarded as one of the first concrete examples of the operational pressure that the new customs rules will create on cross-border e-commerce logistics.