Overview
- The new law took effect on Thursday, October 1 and requires dispatchers with more than €100 million in Austrian mail‑order sales to pay €2 per package or order, shown to customers as €2.40 including VAT.
- Major platforms including Amazon, Otto and Zalando have begun showing the €2.40 line at checkout and many sellers are passing the cost to consumers.
- Because the fee is fixed, it raises the price of very cheap items sharply — reporting shows single low‑cost goods can more than double in final price when the levy is added.
- Several companies and the Handelsverband have raised constitutional and EU single‑market concerns and have said they will seek legal and regulatory challenges at home and in Brussels.
- The law exempts some deliveries (newspapers in thin wrap, pizzas, very heavy shipments) but can still hit small merchants who sell through affected marketplaces and sits alongside recent EU low‑value customs charges and an upcoming EU handling fee.