The end of de minimis - just "propaganda"? #LTM134

The EU will abolish the €150 de-minimis threshold in early 2026 - but will this really slow down Temu, Shein or AliExpress? In this episode, Ingrid talks with China-commerce expert Björn Ognibeni about why the impact will be far smaller than many hope. They explore how Chinese platforms easily absorb new duties, why Europe’s true vulnerability lies in AI-driven sourcing and product development, and how Alibaba.com already uses agentic AI to cut sourcing cycles from months to days. Björn also explains how brutal price transparency will expose many Western brands - and why Europe’s biggest weakness is that it has no serious low-price competition of its own. A concise, eye-opening look at the China wave reshaping Europe’s commerce landscape.

Note from the sponsor Channable

Thinking about selling to Switzerland - but still convinced it’s too complicated? Channable just published a deep-dive interview with Tobias Weyermann from Digitec Galaxus, Switzerland’s marketplace champion with 3.2 billion CHF in annual sales. And he also got some interesting things to say for cross-border sellers who want to target the Swiss market. Because with the Galaxus EU-Hub, sellers from the EU can tap into the Swiss market with zero onboarding fees - and even without a Swiss VAT registration. And tools like Channable help merchants meet those Swiss data standards effortlessly. Curious how onboarding really works - and whether Switzerland might be your next growth market? Then don’t miss the full interview on the Channable blog!

Note from the sponsor Octopia:

Many marketplace operators ask themselves:: How do I get strong, high quality sellers for my platform? That’s where our new partner Octopia can help. It’s the first fully integrated suite of marketplace services developed by an actual marketplace operator - the French generalist Cdiscount. With 20+ years of experience, over 2 billion GMV, 450 specialists, and 10,000 vetted sellers, Octopia’s mission is clear: they acquire sellers for you, onboard them fast, and drive their performance - so your marketplace can scale without complexity. Octopia stands out with its operational strength: targeted seller sourcing, onboarding in just 3-5 days, paneuropean fulfillment, sponsored product solutions, and access to 100+ marketplaces. With 150 business developers, churn  below 1%, and double-digit GMV uplift often within weeks, Octopia delivers fast, scalable growth that’s proven across markets. If you want to know why platforms like Rakuten, Allegro, CDON or FNAC Darty trust Octopia, take a look at our company portrait!