US Ends De Minimis Exemption for Low-Value Imports

De minimis is a provision that exempts American businesses and consumers from paying duties on imports with a value of $800 or less. Despite the convenience it provides, de minimis is scheduled to be suspended near the end of August 2025. We’ll explain why it’s ending and how businesses and personal importers will be affected. 

A New Executive Order Ends De Minimis

On July 30th, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will end de minimis. However, the suspension won’t officially take effect until August 29th, 2025. 

The Trump Administration is suspending de minimis because they believe nefarious foreign shippers are using the loophole to sneak drugs into the country. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has expressed similar concerns. De minimis imports typically receive less scrutiny, which can make it easy for illicit goods to get by customs officials. 

To make matters worse, CBP processes nearly four million de minimis shipments per day. This has made it extremely difficult to check for potential trade violations. 

How Will This Affect Importers?

Use of the de minimis provision has increased as online shopping has become more popular in recent years. Importers in the U.S. often purchase personal items from ultracheap retailers like Temu and Shein.

However, many small e-commerce businesses use the de minimis loophole as well. When de minimis is suspended indefinitely on August 29th, businesses will bare the burden of paying all applicable duties on their imported products. 

The additional expense could be strenous for small e-commerce businesses struggling to stay afloat. 

How R+L Global Logistics Can Help Importers

Here at R+L Global Logistics, we have an extensive transportation network that we use to bring imported goods into the country. Once here in the U.S., we can provide warehousing or domestic shipping services. 

Members of our team are experts on trade regulations. They leverage their knowledge to help importers clear their goods through customs. When de minimis comes to an end, they’ll be ready to assist small businesses with the new taxes they’ll have to pay.