An Important Update About De Minimis and International Shipping to the USA
In the spring, the waters of international delivery became choppy. The withdrawal of the de minimis threshold of $800 USD in the USA caused great uncertainty. We did all that we could to keep our customers informed. When it comes to Everything Dinosaur shipping parcels overseas, we remain committed to providing an exemplary service. An Executive Order remains in place for the removal of the $800 USD de minimis threshold on parcels of China/Hong Kong origin.
Uncertainty regarding the American administration’s intentions remains. Bilateral trade deals may alleviate some of these problems. After all, the UK was the first country to agree a bilateral trade deal with the United States following the wide-ranging unilateral tariffs that were announced in April (2025).
What is De Minimis?
De minimis refers to a threshold value for international parcels sent to the USA, below which goods can enter duty-free and without additional customs fees. For countries other than China and Hong Kong it remains at $800 USD. However, in the “Big, Beautiful Bill”, currently passing through U.S. legislature there is provision to make significant changes with regards to the sending of parcels to the USA.
There is a plan to end de minimis for all parcels entering the USA by July the 1st 2027. The direction of travel is clear. Indeed, an Executive Order may end the de minimis threshold for small parcels sooner.
There are plans to charge duties and tariffs for all parcels scheduled to be sent to America. The de minimis threshold for all parcels arriving in the USA could end by July 1st 2027. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
De minimis has long been used to ship low-value goods into America without duties. This enables easy access to the U.S. consumer for retailers of “fast fashion” and other items. Lawmakers have expressed concern over the dramatic rise of Chinese e-tailers. Changes in the shopping habits of Americans has led to a boom in ecommerce. The provisions in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that oversee the ending of the de minimis threshold could raise billions of dollars in revenue.
However, it is not clear at this stage how a universal ending of de minimis would impact the U.S. postal network. We estimate that around forty-five parcels enter the American postal network every second. Administrating any de minimis changes would be challenging. A thirty-day lead time prior to implementation has been proposed.
The Impact on Everything Dinosaur Shipping Parcels to the USA
In the light of these developments, Everything Dinosaur has been keen to keep customers informed. We are committed to understanding the ramifications of any changes and doing all we can to assist our American customers.
Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“Sue and I try our best to keep our customers updated. There remains considerable uncertainty with regards to sending parcels to America. However, we work directly with major shipping companies, and we want to assure our customers that Everything Dinosaur is fully committed to navigating any changes.”
The advice from many commercial shipping channels is to adopt a DDP (delivery duty paid) model. Everything Dinosaur has been offering DDP shipping for international customers for over five years. Team members have lots of experience in handling parcel despatch under DDP.
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