As the EU is set to eliminate the customs duty exemption for parcels under €150 and introduce other rules, DHL has announced that the carrier isn’t operationally ready for these new customs rules that are set to apply on July 1st.

Because of this, it’s suspending the Globalmail service for low-value exports into the EU, which directly hurts many UK sellers and forces them to quickly consider alternative options or risk being stuck playing the waiting game.

DHL Temporarily Suspends Low-Value Exports to the EU

Ecommerce sellers and companies in the UK that use the Globalmail service from DHL to ship packages to the EU are having to scramble to find alternatives as DHL is temporarily suspending the service.

The service is officially being suspended from June 24th, 2026, onward, but this suspension only impacts the Globalmail service. As a result, companies using services like DHL Express aren’t impacted, and retailers that already hold inventory within the EU are also unaffected.

The Suspension is Due to the EU’s New Customs Rules

The reason for the suspension is that DHL isn’t operationally ready for the new customs rules that are taking place in the EU when July begins. Specifically, the EU is eliminating the customs duty exemption for imported parcels under €150, so now all items entering the EU will attract duties, no matter their value.

In addition to that, the EU is adding a flat fee of €3 on low-value parcel imports up to €150, and the EU is also working on a permanent handling fee of €2 per parcel to cover the cost of inspections for items coming into the EU.

For postal services, like DHL’s Globalmail, these duties must be paid by the sender, and imposing the fee also brings additional data requirements and obligations for shippers, which requires work on their part to prepare for.

Because the DHL Globalmail service doesn’t have a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) solution where the fees would be covered by the seller, it’s unable to support this process. While it’s working on a solution, it won’t yet be ready when the new customs rules take effect.

As a result, any UK retailers looking to ship lower-value goods into the EU using this Globalmail service won’t be permitted to do so until DHL implements the solution.

Why Did the EU Put These New Measures in Place?

The new customs measures were put in place to slow down the increasing prevalence of low-cost international parcels entering the EU.

In fact, these cheap ecommerce imports into the EU have risen sharply, climbing to 5.8 billion in 2025, which is 26% higher than the previous year. While these imports can come from anywhere, China has been a particularly large source of them.

Many of these are unsafe, dangerous, and don’t meet EU rules or comply with the proper regulations, and some of them are also priced in a way that makes it hard for law-abiding businesses to compete.

While these new measures were likely put in place to mainly target these cheap Chinese imports, low-value imports from various other parts of the world are also impacted by the rule changes.

Looking Forward

While many ecommerce sellers in the UK that use the Globalmail service would love to get more clarity about when they can resume shipping low-value items into the EU, they’re currently out of luck. This is because there’s been no official word on when DHL’s solution will be ready.

For companies operating in the region, this is certainly stressful, and while the suspension was a necessary consequence, it doesn’t make it any easier for these brands who rely on the service to ship low-cost parcels into the EU. Sellers operating in the UK and/or EU should keep their eyes open for any developments or word from DHL about when the suspension may end.

Our Take

British Sellers Need to Identify Workarounds

While many sellers hope that this suspension is short-lived and they’ll soon be able to return to business as usual, there are no guarantees that this will be the case. Companies may be stuck waiting days, weeks, or even months before the suspension is lifted.

As a result, British sellers who would traditionally use Globalmail to ship lower-value parcels to the EU need to identify alternatives or ways to work around the suspension.

This could be working with different couriers in the meantime, switching to another option like DHL Express, or partnering with a third-party logistics provider that has warehouse hubs in the EU.