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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 17:07:37
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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Perhaps a silly question but does anyone know how the rescinding of de minimis works for individuals? I know what it is and I know what tariffs are but having never had to deal with paying one directly I was curious how this will play out for people ordering things. Let's say you order a $100 item from a country with a 15% freedom fee when do you pay the $15? Do you pay it at the post office to receive the item? Is it held at customs somewhere and you are sent a request for the $15 before they will release it to the Post Office? Is it just $15 or are their fees on top of that for processing/paperwork.
I don't think I have anything upcoming that would require having to deal with it but with Mantic trying to get as much shipped to the US to avoid customers having to deal with it I was wondering what it looks like in practice. Companies ordering large amounts of product or materials have a different bit of paperwork than someone ordering an Import Exclusive Waluigi Festival Lamp Shade for their Mario Party get together.
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 17:15:41
Subject: Re:Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Lustful Cultist of Slaanesh
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As usual it depends, some companies are having you pay the tariff at checkout, some have sent bills to pay the tariff amount after initial billing. The package is supposed to go into customs and examined and have a tariff levied against it, at which point it is paid and released or sent back. If you paid earlier, I hope the tariff percent is still the same because otherwise you might have a surprise bill. However, given the sheer volume, many countries have just given up on shipping good that would fall under the old de minimus exemption. I know eBay and a lot of shipping companies are just refusing it, and my anime stuff from Japan is just suspended indefinitely.
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One day I will have something funny enough to be in a signature.
hobby blog
Also dm me anime recommendations, I could use fun stuff to watch. I’ll add a mal sig eventually. |
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 17:31:05
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Longtime Dakkanaut
London
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As the US customs system doesn't yet know how to handle it (flat fee? Admin charge? kiss each package with lipstick?), so who knows. Maybe its a percentage plus admin at entry point, maybe its pre payment, maybe its a flat fee when you try and get your parcel. Automatically Appended Next Post: As the US customs system doesn't yet know how to handle it (flat fee? Admin charge? kiss each package with lipstick?), so who knows. Maybe its a percentage plus admin at entry point, maybe its pre payment, maybe its a flat fee when you try and get your parcel.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/08/29 17:31:19
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 19:00:02
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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The_Real_Chris wrote:As the US customs system doesn't yet know how to handle it (flat fee? Admin charge? kiss each package with lipstick?), so who knows.
That was my guess, but it never hurts to ask.
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 19:18:37
Subject: Re:Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Arch Magos w/ 4 Meg of RAM
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I wonder if this explains why some of my mail has taken up residence at Customs.
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BorderCountess wrote:Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/29 20:50:46
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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[MOD]
Making Stuff
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Ahtman wrote: Let's say you order a $100 item from a country with a 15% freedom fee when do you pay the $15?
Traditionally, you would pay it when the package arrives in the US and Customs assess the taxes and other charges that should apply to it. This is the sensible way of doing it, because US Customs are the people who in theory should have the most up to date information on what taxes and other charges currently apply. It's also why de minimis exceptions exist - historically, it's not generally been cost effective to assess and bill low value packages.
With the new tariffs, the US is insisting that they be paid by the carrier prior to the package entering the US, presumably so that they can continue to pretend that the tariffs are paid by the country of origin rather than the receiver. The problem is that there is no mechanism in place for doing this, because it's not the way tariffs work, and neither the various assorted international shipping companies nor US Customs have any idea how to actually process these payments.
So the short term answer is that you don't pay it, as an increasing number of carriers are just not shipping commercial packages to the US until this all gets sorted out, which has resulted in a whole slew of non-US businesses not selling to the US for the moment.
The long term answer is that it will likely be added to checkout as an additional charge for US customers, once US Customs have advised carriers how to pay it and carriers and retailers have both had a chance to update their systems to include it. Which also means that the amount you wind up paying will depend on a small business owner in another country understanding whether or not a US tariff should apply to the product they sell, and how much it is today, and may or may not be the actual amount due. (Which, again, is exactly why this isn't how it generally works...)
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/30 06:33:56
Subject: Re:Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Fixture of Dakka
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Why wouldn't they just handle this like they would for any other items that cost more than the $800 cap?
Surely they already have some system in place to handle something that costs say.... $801+
Of course the following are both likely valid reasons:
*Too obvious/simple - clearly we need to pointlessly complicate things....
*  you, DJT. You want to spew nonsense & crap? Fine, we'll just let your citizens twist in the wind for a bit.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/30 06:40:12
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba
The Great State of New Jersey
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well, I think the problem is that dropping the de minimis exemption has increased the number of packages that customs needs to process by several orders of magnitude and thus they can't handle it the way they did things previously.
The potential good news though is that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit struck down most tariffs as illegal. The case will no doubt go to SCOTUS at which point all bets are off it seems, but there is a possibility that most tariffs just get stripped from the ledger and the death of the de minimis exemption is rendered effectively moot in most cases.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/30 09:56:31
Subject: Re:Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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[MOD]
Making Stuff
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ccs wrote:Why wouldn't they just handle this like they would for any other items that cost more than the $800 cap?
Because...
insaniak wrote:...historically, it's not generally been cost effective to assess and bill low value packages....
Increasing the number of packages that need to be processed means either upgrading existing systems or upgrading the workforce. Both of which cost money. Better to insist that someone else take on that workload and expense, and then blame the resultant problems on them.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/30 12:04:57
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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[DCM]
Tzeentch's Fan Girl
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This is a classic case of using a shotgun to kill a mosquito. The idea was to target cheap goods (mostly from China). But since someone doesn't understand nuance, everyone has to suffer.
I have an item I purchased from Ebay that actually arrived in the US on 8/27, but is still currently held up in customs.
Sadly, this experience is deeply souring, and it's going to make me think several times before ordering from outside the US. Which I get is supposed to be the point, but this whole mess is just going to screw countless small businesses.
I even got a newsletter from Statuesque Miniatures wherein they announced they were suspending sales to the US because of all this. Whole postal systems from some countries have decided it's easier to just... not send anything to the US.
And I have another Kickstarter project that's about to start shipping, but it's coming from China. Despite already paying for shipping, I'm expecting another bill on that soon...
So. Not. Impressed.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/30 13:20:01
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
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On stuff like Statuesque? This may be where I might be of service.
But it depends how it’s actually shaking out.
See, I’m happy to do a form of drop shipping. You send me the GBP via PayPal (G&S to prove I’m on the level). I order and have sent to me. On receipt, I repackage in “clearly not commercial” packaging, and post it on to you.
It’s worked in the past, but does rather add to costs due to additional UK shipping. And of course in the past De Minimis wasn’t a worry.
If anyone fancies giving it at least a trial run, let me know.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/31 02:00:55
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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Not long after posing the question I got an update from a kickstarter that had been delayed for a bit that the product had been loaded on to a ship and will arrive in the US in about a month to then be shipped to the backers. It seems I may be having to partake in the reindeer games after all.
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/08/31 02:55:43
Subject: Practical aspects of the loss of de minimis in the US
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Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba
The Great State of New Jersey
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Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:On stuff like Statuesque? This may be where I might be of service.
But it depends how it’s actually shaking out.
See, I’m happy to do a form of drop shipping. You send me the GBP via PayPal (G&S to prove I’m on the level). I order and have sent to me. On receipt, I repackage in “clearly not commercial” packaging, and post it on to you.
It’s worked in the past, but does rather add to costs due to additional UK shipping. And of course in the past De Minimis wasn’t a worry.
If anyone fancies giving it at least a trial run, let me know.
Is there any way of zero-rating VAT on this? I already do something similar on occasion, by way of the channel islands where purchases are VAT exempt.
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