A new €2 handling fee and product IDs
Starting November 1, 2026, the EU is adding a new €2 handling fee to parcels valued under €150 entering the EU from outside the region.
It sits on top of the €3 customs duty introduced on July 1. If you buy or sell physical merch on Bandcamp, here’s a quick summary of what’s changing.
How the fees work
Like the €3 duty, the new fee is charged per item type in a parcel, not per parcel. From November 1, 2026, each line item on your customs declaration attracts €3 in duty plus a €2 handling fee, for a total of €5. If an order contains a vinyl record and a CD, the total is €10 (assuming the order total is under €150). This applies to physical merch only; digital purchases are not affected.
The EU describes the handling fee as covering the cost of extra customs checks on low-value e-commerce parcels. VAT is also charged on the fee itself.
Example package | Customs duty (€3) | Handling fee (€2) | Total from Nov 1 |
5 T-shirts | €3 (1 item type) | €2 | €5 |
1 T-shirt and 1 CD | €6 (2 item types) | €4 | €10 |
1 tape and 4 LPs | €6 (2 item types) | €4 | €10 |
Who pays, and when
As with the €3 duty, the handling fee is settled at the border between the carrier and the destination country, not through Bandcamp.
Sellers who prepay duties and fees with their carrier before shipping (often called DDP or PDDP) mean there’s nothing for the buyer to pay on delivery. If a seller hasn’t prepaid, the parcel may be held at customs until the charges are settled, and in some countries, the buyer may be asked to pay them before the parcel is released.
Note: Depending on the carrier and destination country, a separate carrier handling charge may also apply on receipt of an international package. A few member states have added their own local parcel fees as well, so check with your carrier for the destinations you ship to most.
For sellers: getting your customs forms right
November 1 also brings a second change: product identifiers become mandatory on customs declarations for parcels entering the EU. Alongside a clear description and HS code, each item type in your declaration should include a product reference, such as an SKU, catalog number, or barcode. Your carrier’s shipping tool will tell you where to add these.
As before, if you ship physical merch to EU buyers, your customs forms need to include Bandcamp’s VAT/IOSS ID. You can find this in your seller receipt, on your packing slips, and via the “Tax IDs and business information” link on your Merch Orders page.
Make sure this ID is added to your shipping label electronically, not by hand.