From 1 July 2026, the EU is expected to introduce a temporary €3 customs duty on most low-value ecommerce imports entering the EU from non-EU countries.
This removes the long-standing duty relief for parcels valued at €150 or under and increases the cost pressure on direct-to-consumer cross-border shipments. The measure is designed as a bridge to wider EU customs reform, including the EU Customs Data Hub planned for 2028.
Every parcel shipped from the UK into the EU carries duty exposure. When items are returned unused, many retailers still absorb that duty as sunk cost.
EU Duty Drawback allows eligible duties to be reclaimed — but only when you can prove, at item level, that the goods were imported, returned unused, exported from the EU, and refunded to the customer.
ZigZag’s EU Duty Drawback Service turns that complex customs process into a managed, automated recovery workflow purpose-built for ecommerce returns.

ZigZag combines established EU-to-UK returns logistics, item-level data, and customs workflows with the drawback expertise of Trade Duty Refund in the Netherlands. Together, we help retailers respond to rising duty exposure and high EU return rates with a practical, compliant recovery process.
Without drawback, import duty paid on returned items is often lost.
With the right evidence and broker-led process, eligible duty can be converted into recovered cash, improving gross margin on returned inventory.
Over 220 localised warehouses to extend the validation, grading and consolidation operations worldwide. UK &Ireland, Europe, Americas, Oceania, Asia, Middle East & the Rest of the World.
ZigZag brings together the data, logistics, customs evidence, and specialist drawback expertise needed to recover duties on returned EU orders.
Retailers recover value without building customs operations, chasing documentation, or manually linking every return to its original import record.
From the moment a return is created through to export evidence, import matching, broker-led filing, and refund reconciliation, the complete journey is managed through one connected service.
Through one managed Duty Drawback Service, ZigZag connects returns data, customs evidence, broker-led filing, reporting, and reconciliation into a streamlined recovery workflow.
This keeps your meaning, but removes duplication and improves flow.
Covering the data, evidence, compliance, claim coordination, and financial reconciliation needed to turn returned EU duties into recovered margin