Effective 29 August 2025, the $800 de-minimis exemption (19 USC §1321) is suspended for shipments from all countries. This follows the earlier end of de minimis for China and Hong Kong on 2 May 2025.
What changed
- Low-value parcels are now dutiable. A sub-$800 shipment that previously cleared free now carries the full stacked duty for its HTS code and country of origin.
- More formality. Entries that rode the simplified de-minimis lane now need proper classification and valuation.
- Value no longer decides it. Once de minimis is suspended for an origin, the $800 ceiling is moot — the shipment is a regular entry regardless of value.
Who it hits
DTC and cross-border e-commerce sellers shipping direct to US consumers feel this most: a $40 item from China that used to land duty-free can now pick up Section 301 + IEEPA + the reciprocal baseline — easily 50%+ in duty.
What to do
Check any low-value lane with the [de-minimis checker](/de-minimis-checker), then recalculate landed cost per SKU with the [tariff calculator](/tariff-calculator). Background: [the de minimis rule explained](/blog/de-minimis-rule).