Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu have gained significant shares in the Greek market in recent years. Consequently inbound e-commerce traffic in 2025 at the Athens airport recorded a remarkable increase of 27% from 2024, reaching historic highs.

This growth is primarily attributed to strong consumer demand, which supported the strengthening of flights with purely cargo aircraft directly from China, complementing the cargo flows handled via passenger flights and regular cargo routes. Cargo-only aircraft traffic recorded an even more impressive increase, up 35.5% against 2024.

Overall, the volume of goods handled at Athens International Airport hit a new record, reaching a total of 137,655 tons, an increase of 10.2% compared to 2024 and 45.5% from pre-pandemic levels.

Although the majority of Chinese products concern low-value items, the price for the domestic market is heavy, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, which see their revenues crushed by the uncontrolled flow of goods from Chinese fast fashion giants; Greek SMEs are unable to compete with both in the wide range they offer and, above all, in prices, which are usually below cost.

The imposition of a fixed fee of €3 starting July 1 on all parcels worth up to €150 entering the European Union from third countries, such as China, is expected to contain that influx. 

This amount will be borne by consumers who place these orders.

However, critics warn this is a small burden, while the e-commerce platforms themselves may absorb part of the cost or further squeeze their prices. 

Furthermore, the duty is not imposed per parcel, but on each different category of product included in the shipment: An order with more and different products can be burdened multiple times, increasing the final cost for the consumer.

A typical package from China might include, for example, a silk blouse and two wool blouses. Although they are in the same package, the different tariff subclasses make the items two separate categories, so the recipient will have to pay €3 for the silk blouse and €3 for the wool blouses, a total of €6.