End of De Minimis
The End of De Minimis refers to the 2025 US suspension of duty-free treatment for imports valued at $800 or less, first for China and Hong Kong in May and then for all countries from August 29, 2025.
What happened and why it matters
The end of de minimis removed the duty-free path that had let millions of low-value parcels enter the US each day, and it changed the economics of cross-border ecommerce overnight. Duty-free treatment ended for goods from China and Hong Kong on May 2, 2025. An executive order signed on July 30, 2025, suspended de minimis for all countries from August 29, with temporary per-item duties of $80 to $200 for postal shipments. Low-value imports now need formal or informal entries and tariff payments. Brands shipping direct from overseas have shifted toward bulk imports into US warehouses and delivered duty paid models.