Orders placed on Shein, Temu or AliExpress are set to cost even more. Starting Sunday, November 1, 2026, the European Union is applying a €2 handling fee to online purchases shipped from outside the EU. This comes on top of the €3 tax that has been in force since July on small parcels. The measure applies throughout France, from Paris and the municipalities of Île-de-France to the regions.
November 1 isn’t just about package deliveries. The switch to winter off-peak hours, an increase in the benchmark gas price, a boost to supplementary pensions and the start of the winter truce all fall on the same day. Here’s what’s changing and what it means for your wallet.
These European handling fees help cover the customs processing of the avalanche of parcels arriving from abroad, the vast majority of them from China. They apply per category of item (a line on the customs declaration), not per parcel. So a parcel containing several identical caps is charged €2. By contrast, an order containing a sweater, a USB cable and a phone case incurs three fees.
A major difference from the July tax: these handling fees have no value cap. They also apply to purchases worth more than €150, and not just to Asian marketplaces. A US, British or Swiss website that ships an item directly to you is covered in the same way, as the Council of the European Union, which approved the measure, makes clear.
Worth noting: France had already tested an equivalent system. A national tax of €2 per item applied to small parcels from March 1 to June 30, 2026, before being suspended when the European flat fee came into effect. The new measure therefore takes over across the 27-member bloc.
Let’s do the math on a typical basket. For an order worth less than €150 and containing five different types of items, the €3 customs duty applies five times, adding up to €15. The new fees add another €2 per category, or €10 more. That brings the total to €25, excluding VAT. For items that sell for just a few euros apiece, the price advantage melts away like an ice cube on a radiator.
On paper, these charges are not billed directly to customers. The platforms and importers pay them to customs. But nothing prevents them from passing the costs on through higher prices or shipping fees. Some did just that in July, after the €3 flat fee took effect. To keep up with the rules that apply to your purchases, the French Customs website remains the go-to source.
The two measures do not have the same lifespan. The €3 tax is a temporary measure: it is due to end in July 2028, when small parcels will become subject to the EU’s standard customs duties under the customs union reform. The €2 handling fee, by contrast, is intended to remain in place, with the amount reviewed every two years.
Platforms, for their part, are already adapting. Some e-commerce giants now import their goods in bulk and store them in warehouses in the European Union before shipping them to customers. This strategy allows them to avoid paying the fee on each parcel. Brussels is planning reduced fees for these shipments, but only from 2028.
Under the reform launched by the Energy Regulatory Commission, off-peak hours are becoming seasonal for some households. November 1 marks the start of the winter period, which runs until March 31. For households already switched to the new system, afternoon off-peak hours disappear or are reduced and are concentrated at night, for example between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
A second wave of changes is also beginning. It affects 9.3 million customers between late 2026 and late 2027. EDF has announced its changes, which will run from November 4, 2026, to November 30, 2027. Don’t panic: your supplier must notify you at least a month in advance. To check your time slots, Enedis’ simulator lets you look them up using your postal code. It’s the perfect time to reset your washing machine and water heater.
On the energy front, the benchmark gas sales price published by the CRE is rising by 6.6% on November 1, 2026. It will reach €194.90 per megawatt-hour including tax, up from €182.88 in October. Households that heat their homes with gas on an indexed-price plan will see the difference on their bills; those on fixed-price plans will not be directly affected. There is better news at the pump, however: a cut in diesel prices has been announced from November, for three months.
Private-sector retirees will benefit from a 1.4% increase in their Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension. The same day marks the start of the winter truce, which runs until March 31, 2027. During this period, evictions are suspended, and utility providers may no longer cut off gas or electricity to a primary residence over unpaid bills. Full details are available on Service-Public.fr.
Finally, for those heading to the mountains during the Toussaint school holidays or later in the winter, winter equipment (winter tires or chains in the vehicle) is required again in the designated mountain areas. And if the news makes you want to think about something else, our guide to things to do in Paris and the Île-de-France region in November 2026 and our ideas for things to do in Paris this winter are here to help.
