Seller Academy weekly update: 27 October 2026

This week’s changes to packing, posting and customs that matter to sellers on The Kosher Shop. Check each item against the way you ship before your next parcel goes out, and remember the packing photo before every shipment.

EU: new €2 handling fee on every item sent from outside the EU

• What changed: The EU now charges a Union handling fee of €2 per item on goods sold at a distance to customers in the EU from outside the EU. It comes on top of the €3 customs duty per item that has applied to consignments worth up to €150 since 1 July 2026. Parcels sent from one EU country to another are not affected.
• Who it affects: Sellers on thekoshershop.eu who ship to EU customers from outside the EU, for example from the UK, Israel or the United States.
• What you must do: Build the fee into your shipping price so the customer pays nothing at the door (our rule is delivered duty paid), and ask your courier how it will charge it. UK sellers posting with Royal Mail must also give a product identifier, such as an SKU, for every item on the customs declaration.
• Effective date: 1 November 2026
• Source: European Commission: EU Customs Reform; Royal Mail: European Trade Insights

Italy: deliveries suspended in parts of the south

• What changed: Royal Mail reports road blocks and suspended parcel collection and delivery in Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily, and industrial action from 15 October 2026 that may continue for weeks.
• Who it affects: Sellers sending parcels to customers in Italy.
• What you must do: Tell customers in these regions about delays before they order, use a tracked service and do not promise delivery dates.
• Effective date: from 15 October 2026, ongoing
• Source: Royal Mail: International Incident Bulletin

USA: new entry rules for postal parcels moved to 20 January 2027

• What changed: US Customs and Border Protection has moved the compliance date for its new entry rules for international mail from 22 October 2026 to 20 January 2027. From then, postal items that come under another US agency (for example the FDA for food) or are subject to certain additional duties need formal entry, or the new electronic Entry Type 13 process. Duty free (de minimis) treatment for mail stays suspended in the meantime.
• Who it affects: EU sellers who post orders to customers in the United States.
• What you must do: Keep sending full and accurate electronic customs data with every parcel, file FDA prior notice for food, and ask your postal operator or courier now how it will handle entry from 20 January 2027.
• Effective date: 20 January 2027
• Source: Federal Register, 22 October 2026

Israel: expect delays

• What changed: Royal Mail reports that Israel Post has extended its state of emergency until at least 3 November 2026. Services are running, but delays are expected.
• Who it affects: Sellers sending parcels to Israel.
• What you must do: Use a tracked service and tell customers that delivery may take longer than usual.
• Effective date: until at least 3 November 2026
• Source: Royal Mail: International Incident Bulletin

Chanukah: plan your order cut-off

• What changed: Chanukah begins on the evening of Friday 4 December 2026, and Christmas volumes slow every network in December.
• Who it affects: All sellers.
• What you must do: Check your courier’s published last dispatch dates and set an order cut-off in your shop announcement, leaving time to pack and take the packing photo.
• Effective date: 4 December 2026
• Source: Royal Mail: Christmas last posting dates

Guides changed this week

None. Our Seller Academy guides are still correct; the items above add detail to Shipping abroad: customs, duties and documents and Choosing a courier.

These guides are practical help, not legal advice.