9. July 2026

Important Update: New EU Customs Rules & How We’re Handling Them 🇪🇺

We always want to keep shopping with us as straightforward and smooth as possible. Because of this, we want to give our international community—specifically our customers in the European Union—a quick heads-up about some major changes to EU import laws that took effect on 1 July 2026.

These changes apply to all business-to-consumer (B2C) exports entering the EU from Great Britain (note: Northern Ireland is not affected due to existing separate arrangements).

Here is a quick breakdown of what is changing, what it means for your orders, and how we are adapting to look after you.

What Are the New Rules?

Previously, parcels sent to the EU with a value under €150 (£126) were exempt from customs duties. As of 1 July 2026, the EU has permanently removed this exemption.

Instead, they have introduced a temporary flat customs duty of €3 on low-value parcels under €150. Here is how it works:

• It applies per item type (tariff line), not per parcel: The duty is based on product categories. If you order multiple items of the exact same type, it’s just one €3 fee. However, if a single parcel contains a mix of entirely different types of items, those €3 fees can stack up at customs.
• Maximum Order Cap: Because of how these rules complicate larger shipments under the new framework, parcels for our EU customers cannot exceed a total value of €150.

How We’re Protecting Your Pocket: Combined Shipping & Refunds

We know that extra fees are never fun, especially when you want to pick up a few different items. Since our new independent website gives us total control over our postage and backend system, we have a flexible solution ready for you:

✨ Our Combined Order Policy: If you want to order a few different items but are worried about stacking fees or crossing the €150 limit, you can safely place several smaller orders.

As long as they haven't shipped yet, I am more than happy to manually combine them into a single, smart shipment for you and refund any excess postage costs straight back to your account.

By packing similar items together efficiently, we can help keep those new EU product-line charges to an absolute minimum.

What’s Next?

We are actively working alongside industry experts and our shipping partners to monitor these reforms and ensure we always give you the most up-to-date guidance.

Our main goal is to make sure your packages arrive safely, legally, and with zero surprise delays at the border.

We have completely updated our FAQs page to reflect these changes in full detail. If you have any specific questions about an upcoming order or want to coordinate a combined shipment, please don't hesitate to reach out via our contact page!

Thank you so much for your continued support as we navigate these international changes together.

The FAQs have been update to say =

Will I have to pay customs fees on new orders? No. For all new orders placed on or after 1 July 2026, Trash Compactor pays these import charges upfront on your behalf. Our pricing has been adjusted to cover this, ensuring your package arrives at your doorstep with no surprise fees to pay on delivery.

Is there a maximum order limit for the EU? Yes. Due to the rigid new EU regulations, single orders for EU delivery cannot exceed €150 (~£126). If you want to buy items that total more than this, please split them into smaller, separate orders.

What if I placed my order before 1 July 2026 but it is shipping now? Because the EU permanently removed the low-value customs exemption on 1 July 2026, packages landing now fall under the new laws. Since no upfront fee could be collected when you checked out, we unfortunately cannot cover these charges retroactively. You may be charged a fee of up to 20% of the order value by your local customs authority before delivery.

— Mark