03.08.2026 Trade & Markets #USA #Import #E-commerce #Duties #Logistics

US extends duties to mail parcels, sets $2,500 informal entry threshold

As of July 24, 2026, the US tariff landscape for cross-border trade and postal shipments shifted on several fronts at once. That day marked the expiration of the temporary global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974: Congress did not renew it, so the 10% surcharge — in place for exactly 150 days since February 24, 2026, when it replaced the earlier IEEPA tariffs — lapsed (Zonos, JM Rodgers).

Forced-labor duties replace the flat surcharge

At the same time, new Section 301 duties stemming from forced-labor investigations took effect. USTR announced the action on July 23, 2026, covering 60 investigated economies (USTR). Rates are tiered:

10% for 17 economies, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan and the United Kingdom;
12.5% for the remaining 38 jurisdictions, including China, Vietnam and Brazil;
a separate net-of-MFN calculation for the EU and Taiwan (effectively up to 10%) and for Japan, South Korea and Switzerland (up to 12.5%) (USTR; Zonos).

These duties do not stack with existing Section 232 tariffs (C.H. Robinson), and exclusions remain available for raw materials in insufficient domestic supply and for goods where a tariff would not meaningfully address forced-labor practices.

What changes for postal shipments

The most consequential shift for e-commerce sellers is that standard import duties — MFN rates plus Sections 232 and 301 — now apply to mail shipments for the first time; previously this channel was exempt (Zonos). This builds on an earlier CBP move: the de minimis exemption for shipments valued at $800 or less was suspended for all countries starting August 29, 2025, and the Federal Register subsequently codified an indefinite suspension along with a new streamlined postal entry process, effective July 24, 2026 (Federal Register).

A $2,500 informal entry threshold for mail

The primary source — CBP's interim final rule — refers specifically to a "new postal informal entry process," not to Incoterms-style "DDP." It covers mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less classifiable in Chapters 1–97 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), under 19 U.S.C. 1498(a)(1)(A) (Federal Register). This replaced the former $800 de minimis exemption cut-off suspended since August 29, 2025. Industry trackers, including Zonos, sometimes shorthand this threshold as "postal DDP," though CBP's own text does not use the term "Delivered Duty Paid" (Zonos).

The designated filer — the owner, purchaser or a licensed customs broker — must now transmit the full 10-digit HTSUS classification, country of origin, duty rate and amount, bond number and tracking data, with payment processed through Pay.gov.

Who is affected and what comes next

The changes hit marketplace and online-store sellers shipping to US consumers by mail, postal consolidators and logistics operators, and end recipients who previously never encountered duties on small parcels. The new $2,500 informal entry threshold eases compliance for pricier shipments, but the arrival of ordinary duties in the postal channel raises landed costs for mass-market cross-border e-commerce — particularly from China, Vietnam and other economies subject to the 12.5% rate.

Full compliance with the new per-shipment data-transmission requirements under 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi) is due by October 22, 2026, giving carriers and filers a window to adapt their systems to the new regime (Federal Register).

Primary sources

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.