Major changes might be coming to your mailbox. Over the past couple of days, several countries have announced they would stop shipping goods into the United States due to President Donald Trump’s new executive order aimed at eliminating something called de minimis. This news comes just weeks after the president’s tariffs were officially signed into effect after months and months of pushback, changes and delays. We look into what exactly this means for you and your mail, below.
What does de minimis mean?
De minimis is a trade loophole that allows foreign goods to be shipped to the United States duty-free and with minimal supervision by customs. This rule was initially launched in the U.S. back in 1938, but since then, the amount of goods allowed in without added fees has risen. The most recent increase was back in 2016 when Congress announced a threshold of $800. But starting on Friday, August 29, that number will drop to zero because of President Trump’s newly signed executive order.
“For decades, bad actors have taken advantage of America’s de minimis process by smuggling in deadly narcotics, harmful products and other contraband in hidden products,” Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary, said in a statement in July of this year. “This loophole led to the death of thousands of Americans, fueled the opioid crisis and harmed U.S. consumers. This decision to end de minimis will save American lives, increase revenue and protect the American consumer and entrepreneur.”
As a result of the change, postal companies in countries like New Zealand, France, Germany and India have announced they would stop shipping packages to the United States until they could find a way to budget in the cost of these newly implemented fees. It’s unclear when exactly that will happen, but it is believed that things like letters and legal documents will not be impacted by this change.
It’s also unclear how new items shipped from China and Hong Kong will be affected, since the de minimis loophole stopped for them back in May.
In 2024, a total of 1.36 billion de minimis packages were shipped into the United States. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “de minimis shipments accounted for 90% of all cargo seizures in FY 2024. These shipments often broke the law, with 98% of narcotics seized from cargo falling under the de minimis exemption, as well as 97% of counterfeit items seized.”
How to get your packages now that de minimis is ending
Shaila Manyam, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director at the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, says companies are “watching this issue closely as an industry to gauge the impact and cost burdens this could create at this grassroots level as well as the macro impact.”
“The key factor people need to understand is where their package is actually being shipped from,” says inventor and Shark Tank Golden Ticket winner Lisa Lane. “If an item is being shipped directly from another country, the new mail import rules and tariffs will apply, regardless of the value. That’s when delays, extra costs or additional customs steps could come into play.”
“On the other hand, if the products were manufactured abroad but are already imported and stocked in the U.S., then the tariffs have already been paid by the importing company. In that case, the customer isn’t impacted at all,” she continues. “So one way to avoid these headaches is to order from U.S.-based companies that already have inventory here. It’s another great reason to support U.S. sellers who are making sure the products are available domestically and hassle-free for the customer.”
For most people, this means items they buy from places like Amazon, Target and Walmart will not be delayed because most of the time these items are already in the United States.
But if you order from sites like Temu and Shein, your package may be at risk for delays and potential additional fees, as these companies tend to ship their products from countries overseas.
