Ship from your factory
Each order shipped direct is its own import.
EFC holds your stock inside the EU. Your factory ships in bulk, and customer orders ship from that stock.
- Your customer receives a delivery from inside the EU, with no customs stop once the stock is released for free circulation.
- Duty and import VAT are settled when each bulk shipment is released for free circulation, not on every order.
- 5 locations in Portugal, with 12,000 pallets of storage capacity across the sites.
EFC holds a non-EU manufacturer’s stock inside the EU, so orders stop crossing the border one at a time. EFC stores the stock and dispatches the orders. EFC does not buy or resell the goods.
Shipping direct
Your buyer may be asked to pay at the door.
The duty, the import VAT and the paperwork fall on each shipment.
That depends on the shipping terms agreed with the buyer. For consumer parcels of EUR 150 or less sold through IOSS, VAT is collected at checkout.
Direct or EU stock
Reorders and returns cross the border too.
A European base moves the border crossing to the bulk shipment. Reorders, returns and delivery then run inside the EU.
Direct
Every order crosses the border.
From EU stock
One bulk import per replenishment, then delivery inside the EU.
When direct stops working
Some orders outgrow direct shipping.
Watch for these signs in your European orders.
Worth checking when
- Customers in the same countries reorder on a regular cycle.
- Customers ask for delivery from stock inside the EU.
- Returns cost more to bring back than they are worth.
- Customers turn down orders that arrive with a duty bill.
Ship from your factory
What manufacturers ask first.
Do I have to stop shipping direct from the factory?
No. You choose which orders move to EU stock. The factory keeps shipping the rest direct.
Does the EUR 3 customs duty apply to my orders?
Only to some. A temporary customs duty of EUR 3 per item applies to consignments of EUR 150 or less sold to consumers at a distance. The legal basis is Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382. It applies whichever VAT scheme is used. It runs from 1 July 2026 and is set to end on 1 July 2028. An item is a group of goods sharing the same tariff classification, description and origin. Business orders shipped direct pay the normal duty on each shipment, and so do other imports, including bulk entry.
Who is the importer of record for the bulk shipment?
There are two routes. One is to import under your own EU VAT and EORI numbers, with a customs representative in Portugal lodging the declaration. The other: where needed, EFC’s operation in Portugal provides the importer of record. For medical devices, EFC is not the importer or authorised representative under the MDR (Regulation (EU) 2017/745, Arts. 11 and 13). CE conformity stays with the manufacturer.
Does EFC buy the goods?
No. EFC does not buy or resell goods. You keep ownership and your prices. EFC handles the storage and the dispatch.
GET A QUOTE
Talk to the operations team
On a call we cover your volumes, your products and the operations we would run for you inside the EU. Send a few details and our operations team will reply.
Check which of your orders need EU stock