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From 1 July 2026 the EU is scrapping its €150 customs de minimis threshold. Cheap parcels just died. Every low-value package from outside Europe now faces a new flat-rate €3 customs duty per product type — plus France’s extra €2 “"taxe sur les petits colis" (TPC) and a potential patchwork of national fees.

In this episode I explain exactly why the EU followed Trump’s lead to abolish De Minimus, how Temu and Shein gamed the old system with 91% of small parcels from China, and why even experts can’t keep up with the constant rule changes.

The Paradox Bomb: Rules designed to make trade fairer and crush e-commerce fraud are actually making everything more complicated, more expensive, and potentially hurting the very businesses and consumers they were meant to protect.

So what for business leaders? Higher friction costs, a massive incentive to shift to EU fulfilment centres instead of direct shipping from the UK, US or Asia. Listen to the podcast for more details.

If you send or receive small packages to Europe — e-commerce, cross-border gifts, online shopping — this is essential listening.

Keywords / Tags: EU de minimis 2026, end of €150 threshold, low value packages customs, low value consignments, small parcels EU, customs duties July 2026, Temu, Shein , EU rules, e-commerce imports Europe, cheap parcels, EU customs changes 2026, global trade podcast.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This episode does not constitute advice in any form. Get expert advice from an expert, specific to your circumstances, before relying on any information contained in this episode. Rules, legislation, practice guidance and thresholds can also change.

The content of this podcast is intended only to provide an information resource of interest and does not constitute legal, tax, business, or financial advice of any kind. Should you require advice, engage an appropriately qualified person. Views expressed are my own.

Subscribe to Global Trade Deciphered for unfiltered briefings on the policies, trends and geopolitics reshaping global trade. Share with anyone who’s ever cursed at a parcel notification.

Photo credit: Photo Credit: Breathe Icon Team: Sebastian Porta, Cory Kontros, Andrew Starr-Bochicchio, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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*Disclaimer: This podcast is simply for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not in way constitute legal, business, financial or other advice whatsoever. Should you require advice then please seek such from an appropriately qualified professional, explaining your specific circumstances.

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📌 Digital Tariffs 2026: WTO E-Commerce Moratorium Dies – Customs Duties on Netflix, SaaS & Data Now Possible | Fireside Chat

The 28-year WTO ban on customs duties for electronic transmissions has just lapsed. For the first time since 1998, countries can now tax downloads, streaming (Netflix, Spotify), e-books, SaaS subscriptions, cloud data transfers and every other electronic flow — exactly like physical goods.

In this relaxed Fireside Chat, Justin Hayden Miller breaks down:

• Why this is “MEGA” for businesses and consumers (and why the US and EU fought so hard to keep it)
• The new patchwork of digital border rules that compliance teams will have to track
• Why this changes everything we thought we knew about customs in the 21st century
• Plus: latest Hormuz crisis update, aversion therapy strategy, Suez & Panama chokepoints, UNCTAD trade figures, and what it all means for global supply chains

A genuine “Paradox Bomb” episode: in the age of seamless digital globalisation, the rules designed to keep data borderless have just crumbled.

🎙️ Fireside Chat format — no script, straight talk from the armchair.

Send Justin a voice message or fan mail directly from this episode page (link at the top of the description) — he reads and replies to every one.

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice. Always consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.

#DigitalTariffs #WTO #EcommerceMoratorium #GlobalTrade2026 #HormuzCrisis #SupplyChainRisk

If you like the podcast, please subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a rating. Also tell friends and colleagues about it so the podcast can grow.

*Follow Justin on X: @JustinHaydenM

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*Disclaimer: This podcast is simply for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not in way constitute legal, business, financial or other advice whatsoever. Should you require advice then please seek such from an appropriately qualified professional, explaining your specific circumstances.

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Tintin warned us in the 1950s. In 2026 the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz are exploding just like the comic – and $150 oil is no longer science fiction.

In this episode I crack open Hergé’s Tintin: Land of Black Gold and show how its 1950s story of sabotaged tankers, exploding fuel and Middle East intrigue is playing out in real time in the 2026 Red Sea Houthi crisis and Hormuz oil shock.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

• The eerie parallels between the comic’s desert kingdom of Khemed and today’s Red Sea Houthi attacks, Iran tensions, tanker routes and underground facilities
• Why a prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure or fresh Red Sea shipping disruption isn’t just a shipping headache – it’s a global supply chain shock that could slam trade balances, ignite inflation and hand the next recession its starter’s pistol
• How the 1970s oil crises (the ones that forced Europe to invent summer time) are already repeating in the 2026 Middle East oil crisis
• The demand-side playbook smart governments and businesses can use tomorrow – no lectures, just pick-and-choose moves that actually work while everyone else waits for calm seas

Hergé never wrote a sequel to Land of Black Gold.
But the sequel to today’s Red Sea and Hormuz events is unfolding every morning in the news.

If you’re a business leader, policymaker or anyone tracking energy security, oil prices and global trade disruption in 2026, hit play now.

IEA Press Conference Link: https://www.iea.org/events/video-statement-by-iea-executive-director-on-iea-oil-stock-release

Global Trade Deciphered – decoding what matters before it hits balance sheets.

If you like the podcast, please subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a rating. Also tell friends and colleagues about it so the podcast can grow.

*Follow Justin on X: @JustinHaydenM

or contact us by email at GlobalTradeDeciphered@gmail.com

Sign up to our newsletter. (We won't spam you and will remove your email on your request.) https://substack.com/@globaltradedeciphered

*Disclaimer: This podcast is simply for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not in way constitute legal, business, financial or other advice whatsoever. Should you require advice then please seek such from an appropriately qualified professional, explaining your specific circumstances.