De Minimis Suspension 2026: What Packages Cost Now

For nearly a decade, the cheapest way to import goods into the United States was to keep the shipment under $800. That single number—the de minimis threshold—allowed hundreds of millions of parcels a year to clear customs without duties, without a formal entry, and with almost no paperwork.

That window is closed. The de minimis suspension ended duty-free treatment for China and Hong Kong on May 2, 2025, and for all other countries of origin on August 29, 2025. In June 2026, the suspension for all non-postal modes was made indefinite, and separate legislation makes the repeal permanent as of July 1, 2027.

If you're still pricing your landed cost as if a $60 package arrives free of charge, you're underpricing every order. Here's what those shipments will actually cost in 2026, and where the savings still lie.

What Actually Changed

Before the suspension, shipments valued at $800 or less were cleared under an informal, duty-free procedure. Today, every shipment—regardless of value or origin—must be filed as a customs entry and is subject to duties, federal excise tax, and any applicable state or local sales and use taxes.

In practice, this means three new cost tiers for parcels that previously had none:

• Duty at the normal tariff rate for the HTS classification, plus any Section 301 or reciprocal tariff that applies to the country of origin.
• Filing an entry — A qualified party must file in ACE, typically Entry Type 11 (informal) under $2,500, or Entry Type 01 (formal) above it.
• Brokerage and disbursement fees charged by the carrier or broker for filing the paperwork, plus a fee for paying the duty in advance.

A fourth change took effect on July 24, 2026: a new informal entry process for international mail shipments, which closed the loophole that some shippers had been using while the non-postal suspension was in effect.

The Real Cost of a Low-Value Import in 2026

The table below shows a $120 consumer-goods package arriving via express courier. The figures are approximate — Your duty rate depends on the classification and country of origin, and brokerage fees vary depending on the carrier's terms.

The spread is the key. Two parcels of identical value can differ by $80 in fees solely because of their origin, classification, and who files the entry.

Where Shippers Are Quietly Losing Money

Per-package brokerage on high-frequency routes. If you ship 200 low-value parcels a month and pay $15 in clearance fees for each one, that amounts to $3,000 a month in charges that didn't exist two years ago—and most of it can be avoided through consolidation.

Incorrect HTS classification. Under the de minimis rule, no one checked. Now, an unclear classification means a broker defaults to a safe, higher-duty code. A correct six-digit classification for a textile item can mean the difference between 0% and 32%.

Country of origin not declared. The country of origin determines the tariff classification, not the country of shipment. Goods manufactured in one country and stored in another are still classified based on their country of origin.

Duty assessment on small duty amounts. A $12 minimum fee to advance $4 in duties is a 300% surcharge. Paying the duties directly from your own account eliminates this fee.

Seven Ways to Pay Less After the De Minimis Suspension

1. Combine into a single entry. A single Type 11 entry covering 50 parcels costs a fraction of what 50 separate clearances would cost. Section 321 is no longer in effect, but consolidated formal entries are still allowed.
2. Classify items accurately and maintain a classification library. Create a spreadsheet listing your SKUs along with their HTS codes and countries of origin, and provide it to your broker once, rather than having to guess for each shipment.
3. Call for free trade agreements. USMCA-eligible goods from Canada or Mexico still enter duty-free with a valid certificate of origin — the suspension eliminated the value exemption, not the trade agreements.
4. Use a bonded third-party logistics (3PL) provider or a foreign trade zone If you hold inventory, duty is deferred until the goods leave the zone, and is never paid on units that are re-exported.
5. Pay the duty directly. Set up a duty-deferral or periodic monthly statement account so that the carrier does not have to advance funds and bill you for the service.
6. Negotiate clearance fees, not just freight charges. Brokerage is a published rate, which means it is negotiable once your volume is known.
7. Update the prices on your product pages. Sellers who continue to absorb the landed cost in silence are the ones falling behind. Either factor the duty into the price or quote DDP at checkout so the customer can see it.

What to Fix This Week

Retrieve your import invoices for the last 30 days and separate the transportation charges from the clearance charges. Most shippers find that 20%–40% of what they currently spend per parcel has nothing to do with moving the package—it consists of entry fees, advance payment fees, and duties that they could have reduced through proper classification or a consolidated entry.

The de minimis suspension is not being lifted. The shippers who come out ahead are those who treat customs duties as a line item to manage rather than an unexpected charge on the invoice.

Ship for less, even under the new rules

At ShipPayLess, we compare carrier rates and customs clearance costs for every shipment so you can see the total landed cost before you purchase the label—not after the broker bills you. Get a rate comparison and find out what your low-value imports should actually cost.

All figures are approximate and vary depending on the carrier agreement, service level, HTS classification, country of origin, and the tariff measures in effect at the time of entry.