The de minimis exemption is back in play for products from China — for now.
President Donald Trump's administration ended the exemption Tuesday as part of additional 10% tariffs placed on China. An amendment to the order has since changed that, saying de minimis treatment "is available for otherwise eligible" products covered by the tariffs.
The exemption will end for such products once the Secretary of Commerce notifies Trump "that adequate systems are in place" to quickly process and collect related tariff revenue.
De minimis' temporary return likely comes as a relief for companies that rely on the exemption to ship sub-$800 products from China into the U.S. without having to pay added duties.
When the order ending it was first announced, experts told Supply Chain Dive that many e-commerce shippers would have to make large-scale changes to adjust to higher fees. Time to adjust was limited, given the brief window between the order's announcement and the changes taking effect.
Uncertainty compounded for cross-border shippers when the Postal Service briefly suspended inbound packages from China and Hong Kong's postal systems following the temporary elimination of de minimis treatment for goods from China. When the agency lifted the suspension, it said it was working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to establish a better collection method for added China tariffs.
Portless CEO Izzy Rosenzweig said on LinkedIn that while pausing the de minimis ban for China-based goods "doesn't change anything in the long run, it will benefit the entire industry" when CBP has the technology to collect tariff revenue at scale.
