08/31/2025

Shoppers Met with Canceled Orders, Delays as De Minimis Exemption Ends

People are greatly feeling the effects of Trump's tariffs

Consumers, shippers and small businesses at home and abroad are in flux as an exemption that allowed low-cost goods to enter the United States duty-free came to an end.

For nearly a century, the de minimis rule allowed merchandise worth $800 or less to bypass import tax. But it expired at 12:01 a.m. Friday, meaning such shipments are now subject to an additional 10 to 50 percent levy that coincides with the tariff rate of the country of origin, or a flat rate of $80 to $200, depending on which option the merchant chooses.

The change has caused widespread uncertainty over how the levies will be collected. President Donald Trump’s July 30 executive order states that transportation carriers have to collect the tax from merchants before arriving in the U.S. using a third-party service preapproved by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As of midday Friday, only a dozen service providers had been certified to collect and pay such duties.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.