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PROTECT YOUR DNA WITH QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
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This de minimis exemption is present in many countries, with de minimis being a Latin expression that means "pertaining to minimal things". The idea is that for shipments under a certain value, it's not worth the bother to charge duties on them. (If you're curious, the Global Express Association lists one hundred countries and territories that have de minimis thresholds.)
The current de minimis threshold in the United States is US$800, which means an individual within the U.S. could receive a package shipped from outside the country and not pay duties on that package as long as the value was below US$800. However, on May 2, 2025, the de minimis exception was dropped on packages coming from China and Hong Kong — and on August 29, 2025 that exception will be removed for all shipments coming from outside the U.S. From the executive order:
Sec. 2. Suspension of Duty-Free de minimis Treatment. (a) The duty-free de minimis exemption provided under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) shall no longer apply to any shipment of articles not covered by 50 U.S.C. 1702(b), regardless of value, country of origin, mode of transportation, or method of entry. Accordingly, all such shipments, except those sent through the international postal network, shall be subject to all applicable duties, taxes, fees, exactions, and charges. International postal shipments not covered by 50 U.S.C. 1702(b) shall be subject to the duty rates described in section 3 of this order. Entry for all shipments that — prior to the effective date of this order — qualified for the de minimis exemption, except for shipments sent through the international postal network, shall be filed using an appropriate entry type in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) by a party qualified to make such entry.
(b) Shipments sent through the international postal network that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) shall pass free of any duties except those specified in section 3 of this order, and without the preparation of an entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), until such time as CBP establishes a new entry process and publishes that process in the Federal Register.
(b) Shipments sent through the international postal network that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) shall pass free of any duties except those specified in section 3 of this order, and without the preparation of an entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), until such time as CBP establishes a new entry process and publishes that process in the Federal Register.
And what are the duties specified in section 3 of that order?
(c) A specific duty shall be assessed on each package containing goods entered for consumption, based on the effective IEEPA tariff rate applicable to the country of origin of the product as follows:
(i) Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate of less than 16 percent: $80 per item;
(ii) Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate between 16 and 25 percent (inclusive): $160 per item; and
(iii) Countries with an effective IEEPA rate above 25 percent: $200 per item.
(i) Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate of less than 16 percent: $80 per item;
(ii) Countries with an effective IEEPA tariff rate between 16 and 25 percent (inclusive): $160 per item; and
(iii) Countries with an effective IEEPA rate above 25 percent: $200 per item.
IEEPA stands for International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which was passed in 1977 and which "provides the President broad authority to regulate a variety of economic transactions following a declaration of national emergency". What national emergency is in place that requires such action?
I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to suspend duty-free de minimis treatment under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) on a global basis to deal with the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, as amended. In my judgment, this suspension is necessary and appropriate to ensure that the tariffs imposed by Executive Order 14257, as amended, are not evaded and are effective in addressing the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 and that the purpose of this action and other actions to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 is not undermined.
And what was the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257?
I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that underlying conditions, including a lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships, disparate tariff rates and non-tariff barriers, and U.S. trading partners' economic policies that suppress domestic wages and consumption, as indicated by large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States. That threat has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States in the domestic economic policies of key trading partners and structural imbalances in the global trading system. I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to this threat.
Yes, we're talking about Trump's tariff obsession once again, this time dropping down to a scale that pertains to minimal things, with the exceptions mentioned in 50 USC 1702(b) being:
information or informational materials, including but not limited to, publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds.
What's not on that list? Games. If someone outside the U.S. ships a game to someone inside the U.S., the recipient will owe a duty — that is, a tax — of $80-200 depending on the package's origin.
As a result, many countries and companies have suspended shipments to the United States. On August 22, 2025, DHL, which owns the Deutsche Post service, wrote:
After August 22, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US. The reason for these anticipated temporary restrictions is new processes required by U.S. authorities for postal shipping, which differ from the previously applicable regulations. Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out.
An August 26, 2025 article in The Guardian notes that:
International postal services in nearly 30 countries had suspended some services to the US by Tuesday.
Services in 22 European countries – including the UK, France, Germany and Italy – have suspended some deliveries since Friday. PostEurop said its members, including a further 32 postal services, could be forced to restrict shipping.
In Asia and the Pacific, services in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore have suspended some or all deliveries.
Online marketplace Etsy has suspended US shipping label services for Australia Post, Canada Post and the UK's Royal Mail and Evri, encouraging users to find alternative carriers who let them pre-pay tariff fees.
Services in 22 European countries – including the UK, France, Germany and Italy – have suspended some deliveries since Friday. PostEurop said its members, including a further 32 postal services, could be forced to restrict shipping.
In Asia and the Pacific, services in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore have suspended some or all deliveries.
Online marketplace Etsy has suspended US shipping label services for Australia Post, Canada Post and the UK's Royal Mail and Evri, encouraging users to find alternative carriers who let them pre-pay tariff fees.
What are we to make of all this? I suppose that if you live in the United States and want to buy a game from Europe, Japan, Korea, or elsewhere, you might want to think again — and any business or individual outside the U.S. should reconsider selling games to anyone inside the U.S. given that your buyer might be surprised by a huge duty and decide to reject the shipment. (A related thought: Will U.S. attendees of SPIEL Essen 25 need to open their suitcases and pay duties on a game-by-game basis?)
The biggest issue with a declaration of this type — aside from its nonsensical origins and haphazard reasoning and unreliable future (given how tariff rates change) — is that the United States is a cog in the world's workings, and if other countries don't know how that cog will work in the future, they might restructure the machine to function without it. As large a customer as the United States is, I can imagine some companies, if not entire countries, deciding that dealing with a living wheel of fortune isn't worth the bother.
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English (US) ·