Over 70% of consumers regularly buy products online, both from sellers’ e-shops and through online marketplaces such as Amazon, Temu, or Shein. A 2021 study on Amazon.de commissioned by AK concluded that almost half of all retailers on their German portal are based in China and that consumers often do not know the location of online vendors. Although 93 percent of consumers  believe that products sold on online marketplaces should be safe and comply with EU legal requirements, the opposite is often the case. As AK tests on children's toys sold by the discount online retailers Temu, Wish and Shein have shown, these shops sell dangerous toys that contain small parts that could be swallowed, exceed safety limits or pose a risk of poisoning.

The environmental impact of e-commerce is also extremely negative: in addition to the increase in emissions from air freight and express delivery services, there are high costs associated with the disposal of packaging materials and short-lived products.

On-site visit at Liège Cargo Airport

Liège Airport is one of Europe's most important e-commerce hubs, from where goods are shipped on to many EU countries. The number of incoming parcels has risen sharply in recent years: in 2023, 400 million parcels were handled at the airport, and by the end of 2025 this figure is expected to rise to 1.4 billion, most of them from China. Customs authorities play a key role in monitoring, but they face major challenges: just 0.005 per cent of parcels can be checked, despite widespread problems with unsafe products, counterfeits, undervalued goods and fraud. This is also known to the Belgian authorities. However, in contrast to the sharp increase in the number of incoming parcels staffing levels have not been increased in recent years. In 2024, only 67 inspectors from the Belgian customs authorities were responsible for checking more than a billion parcels. These problems could become even more acute as a result of the planned comprehensive expansion of the airport in the coming years, unless the number of staff is increased significantly.

Using precise risk analysis, the customs authorities decide which products are to be inspected. Approximately 1,000 cases of counterfeiting are uncovered every month. However, a fundamental difficulty for inspectors lies in accessing data on imported products. Even if legal violations can be identified, it is often not possible to hold anyone accountable. Complex and opaque supply chains involving drop shippers, suppliers and freight forwarders are deliberately chosen, and tricks are used to deceive the authorities, for example by falsely declaring a lower customs value or concealing data required by the customs authority. Customs officers also reported that it is quite common for illegal products that have been returned to their place of origin to reappear on another aircraft within a short period of time. In some cases, they did not even bother to remove the ‘non-compliant’ labels that Belgian customs had affixed to the package.

Negotiations on the EU Customs Code

In response to the problems in e-commerce, the European Commission presented a proposal for the reform of the Union Customs Code in May 2023. Interinstitutional trilogue negotiations have been ongoing since July 2025, with the aim of concluding them by the end of 2025. The proposal aims to create a new EU Customs Authority and an EU Customs Data Hub. The intention is to make it easier to identify untrustworthy traders and to improve cooperation between authorities.

The EU Commission estimates that up to 65 per cent of parcels imported into the EU are currently undervalued in order to avoid import duties. Therefore, the current 150 Euros customs duty threshold for low-value imports is also to be abolished – 80 per cent of parcels under 15O Euro are said to come from China. The European consumer organisation BEUC is calling for the introduction of a two-tier penalty system as part of the customs reform to make online marketplaces liable for duties and ensure compliance, with penalties for non-compliance. Otherwise, there is a risk that false declarations will continue to be made deliberately, as there are currently no penalties in place and it is possible to resubmit the customs form.

Further information:

AK Vienna: Gefangen im Netz von Amazon (German only)

AK Upper Austria: AK test: Billig online shops Temu, Wish & Shein verkaufen gefährliches Spielzeug (German only)

BEUC: e-commerce: new challenges for the sustainable transition

BEUC: Ticking all the boxes for consumers in the EU Customs Reform

BEUC: Under the Microscope: Tests of Temu Products by Consumer Groups

MEP Anna Cavazzini: Shein, Temu and Co.  – Produktsicherheit im Online-Handel durchsetzen (German only)

vzbv: Online shopping: consumers expect save products