US de minimis is gone: what the $800 repeal means for your landed cost
Updated September 2026 · 6 min read
For years, small parcels under $800 entered the United States duty-free under the "de minimis" exemption. That era is over. The exemption was suspended worldwide on August 29, 2025, CBP extended the suspension indefinitely on June 24, 2026, and Congress has set July 1, 2027 as the date the exemption is permanently repealed.
What actually changed at the border
- Every shipment is a formal entry. No more duty-free parcels — commercial goods require customs entry regardless of value.
- 10-digit HTS classification. Guessing at "general merchandise" is gone; each SKU needs a real tariff code.
- Customs bond and entry filing. Importers need a continuous or single-entry bond and (in practice) a licensed customs broker.
- Duties on the full value. Combined with existing Section 301 tariffs on many China-origin goods, low-value landed costs have risen 41–100% depending on category.
Who this hits hardest
The direct-parcel model — AliExpress-style dropshipping into US mailboxes — is effectively dead. If your margin lived inside the $800 exemption, shipping small parcels direct is no longer viable. Buyers who consolidated into proper bulk imports were already paying duties and now compete against fewer, weaker rivals.
Three moves that keep margins alive
1 · Consolidate to FCL/LCL with correct classification. Bulk import + accurate HTS codes usually beats parcel duties even after brokerage fees. This is a job for someone on the ground who can verify what the factory actually packs.
2 · Get the tariff code right before you order. Your supplier's "default" HS code is often chosen to suit the factory, not you. Verify classification and duty rate against your product's real materials and function — we check this before quotes go out.
3 · Rework your cost model around inspection. When every dollar of duty is real, a failed shipment is no longer an annoyance — it is a tax you pay twice. Pre-shipment inspection at the factory gate is now cheaper than a single rejected container.
The bottom line
The repeal rewards importers who run a real supply chain: verified factories, correct paperwork, inspected goods, consolidated freight. If you are moving from parcels to proper importing, talk to us — the 48-hour quote pack now includes duty-relevant classification checks for US-bound orders.