Asian e-commerce platforms Shein, Temu, and AliExpress see revenue drop in Germany

Revenue for major Asian e-commerce platforms Shein, Temu, and AliExpress fell by 35.5 percent in Germany during the third quarter, totaling 566 million euros. According to data from the Federal Association of E-commerce and Mail Order (bevh), the market share of these three platforms dropped from 5.3 percent in the previous quarter to 3.1 percent.

The decline is attributed to new customs regulations regarding small shipments from third countries. Since July, the previous 150-euro customs exemption limit has been removed, making all shipments subject to customs duties. A flat fee of 3 euros per product group now applies to small shipments under 150 euros, with an additional 2-euro processing fee expected in November. These costs significantly impact low-margin, low-priced products from Asia.

Overall, the German online retail market grew by only 2.9 percent in the third quarter, which is below the September inflation rate of 3.3 percent. Without the impact of the Asian platforms, the rest of the online market would have grown by approximately 4.9 percent.