President Trump is ending an exemption that allowed certain low-value commercial shipments into the United States without facing tariffs.
Trump signed an executive order that will end the so-called de minimis exemption effective Aug. 29. As of that date, imported goods that are valued at $800 or less and shipped via means other than the international postal network will be subject to duties.
The exemption is expected to hit the fast fashion industry and retailers like Temu, Shein and Amazon, as well as package shippers that import goods from China for U.S. consumers at large scale.
The White House said the amount of de minimis shipments has spiked in recent years, with Customs and Border Protection processing more than 4 million such shipments into the U.S. each day.
“The de minimis exemption has been abused, with shippers sending illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, precursors, and paraphernalia into the United States in reliance on the lower security measures applied to de minimis shipments, killing Americans,” the White House said in announcing the move.
The administration in May had closed the de minimis loophole for Chinese imports.
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