Austria is planning a two-euro parcel levy on e-commerce shipments to more strictly regulate the rapidly growing import of parcels and to cover the costs of control, infrastructure, and fair competition.
The levy would mainly affect merchants and marketplaces shipping goods directly to Austria, especially with cross-border delivery models. For sellers, this fee may impact future shipping costs, pricing calculations, and competitiveness compared to providers with local storage.
Since the details of the concrete implementation still need to be specified, merchants should review their Austrian sales, fulfillment structures, and margins at an early stage.
What do merchants need to consider?
Review Austria calculations: Merchants should analyze all shipments to Austria according to cart value, shipping method, and margin. An extra levy of €2 per parcel can significantly reduce profitability, especially for low-priced items.
Adjust fulfillment structure: Those who ship from third countries or with long cross-border delivery chains should consider EU warehousing, FBA strategies, or local shipping solutions. Shorter delivery routes can help stabilize costs and improve conversion rates.
Carefully test prices and shipping costs: The levy should not simply be passed on to all items as a blanket surcharge. It is advisable to use A/B tests on shipping costs, minimum order values, and bundles, so margins rise without unnecessarily discouraging purchases.
