Understanding Ecoparcel's Fuel Surcharge

Diesel fuel prices across Europe have risen significantly over the past year, driven by global supply constraints, geopolitical tensions, and increased demand. These increases directly affect the cost of parcel transportation, as fuel typically accounts for 20–25% of a carrier's operating expenses.

To maintain reliable, high-quality delivery service across all our European routes without permanently raising base shipping prices, Ecoparcel has introduced a transparent, temporary fuel surcharge.

A fuel surcharge is a small percentage added to the shipping price that reflects the current cost of diesel fuel relative to a stable baseline. It is a standard practice across the logistics industry - used by carriers such as GLS, DPD, UPS, and others - to account for fluctuating fuel costs without frequently changing base rates.

The surcharge rises when fuel prices go up and falls when they come back down.

Ecoparcel's fuel surcharge is calculated on a per-country basis using official data from the European Commission's EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, which publishes diesel prices for every EU member state.

Each country has a baseline diesel price - a reference point set when fuel costs were at a stable level. The surcharge percentage for any given country is determined by the formula:

Fuel surcharge = ((current diesel price − baseline price) / baseline price) × fuel cost share

We believe customers deserve to see exactly how fuel costs affect their shipping prices. That is why we have created a dedicated Fuel Surcharge page on our website at ecoparcel.eu/fuel-surcharge. This page displays, for every country where the surcharge is active:

• The baseline diesel price used as a reference
• The current diesel price from the latest EU Oil Bulletin data
• The resulting surcharge percentage
• The date the data was last updated

All data is updated automatically on a regular basis, so the surcharges shown always reflect the most recent market conditions.

The fuel surcharge is a temporary measure. As diesel prices decrease, the surcharge is reduced accordingly - in real time, country by country. If diesel prices in a given country return to or fall below the baseline level, the surcharge for that country drops to zero automatically.

Our goal is to remove the surcharge entirely once fuel markets stabilise.

For most shipments, the fuel surcharge adds only a small percentage to the total price. By applying it transparently and basing it on verified, publicly available data, we ensure that every customer pays a fair price that reflects actual market conditions - nothing more.

We remain committed to offering competitive shipping rates across Europe. The fuel surcharge allows us to absorb short-term fuel volatility without compromising on service quality or delivery reliability. If you have any questions about the fuel surcharge, please visit our Fuel Surcharge page or contact our support team.