While previous administrations considered removing de minimis exemption or introducing reforms, Trump was the first to do so. “This is a version of moving and breaking the administration,” says Ram Ben Tzion, co -founder and general director of Publican, a digital shipping verification platform, citing one of the basic principles of startup culture.
This movement can potentially cause chaos and confusion in the online shopping industry, as well as make purchases for consumers, especially since many global manufacturers and online sellers are in China. Buyers are now on the hook not only in terms of an additional 10 % tariff, but also regardless of the original tax rate from which their products were released until Tuesday.
Cindy Allen, who has been working in international trade for over 30 years and is the general director of the Trade Force consulting company, gave you an example of how much additional cost will be borne by: a dress of a woman from a synthetic fiber sent from China by China de minimis will now be subject to regular 16 tariff 16 -percentage, 7.5 % of section 301 specifically for goods from China, a up-to-date 10 % tariff required by Trump, additional fees for processing and medical fees in customs apply, and perhaps increased medical and service costs due to a sudden change of rules.
“Does the dress, which amounted to $ 5, costs USD 5.50 or USD 15?” says Allen. “That we don’t know. It depends on how retailers react and change their business models. “
In the immediate period, customs settlement will become a challenge for most E -Commerce companies. However, their long -term care is a potential effect on profitability. Appeal ago and Shein and similar E -commerce companies are the way their products are affordable. If this changes, the E -commerce landscape and consumer behavior in the US can also change significantly.
While USPS announced the suspension of the acceptance of any plots from China and Hong Kong, CBP has not developed how the agency enforces up-to-date Trump tariffs other than the saying in the announcement that he would reject requests for de minimis release from China from today. CBP did not immediately answer Wired’s request for comment.
While the trucks can be easily reversed on the border of the entrance, the greater challenge will be to stop loading flights, which are charged with goods, which in recent years have been preferred the shipping method for de minimis packages.
There are two potential results in the near future. If CBP decides to store all de minimis packets from China on the border until they are correctly classified and paid for import duties, it can cause huge arrears, leaving customers waiting for time for their orders.
Alternatively, CBP can decide to maintain and load tariffs with reverse power, according to Hart. There is a mechanism called “liquidation”, which allows the US government for a year, and even longer calculating the final import duties and taking importers with retrospective power. “So from the perspective of liquidation you are on the hook for a while,” he says. For now, it is not clear how many packages will move abroad.