Online shoppers face import duties up to 30% from January

The Customs Department is set to impose import duties of up to 30% on goods ordered via foreign e-commerce platforms, with enforcement expected to begin on January 1, 2027.

Customs Director-General Phantong Loykulnanta said the cabinet on Tuesday approved the Finance Ministry-proposed measure to revoke existing duty reductions and exemptions on cross-border e-commerce parcels.

The move addresses false value declarations and staffing shortages in inspecting roughly 240 million imported parcels annually.

Rather than a flat rate, duties will follow standard customs tariff schedules capped at 30%. Phantong noted that similar measures are used internationally to protect domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The department projects annual duty collection from e-commerce parcels will rise by 6.3 billion baht, from 4.8 billion baht to 11 billion baht, excluding value-added tax.

Among the top 10 high-volume online product categories affected, duties will rise to 30% for plastic goods (currently 19%), decorative items/imitation jewelry (currently duty-free), bags (20%), and sports equipment (10%), while clothing will remain at 30%.

Meanwhile, the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) projected the tax adjustment will have minimal impact on headline inflation, as affected goods account for only 0.70% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket.