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Glossary · Customs & duties
What is De minimis (Section 321)?
The US exemption that let low-value shipments enter duty-free; it has been suspended for all countries since August 2025, so low-value goods now pay duty.
Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930 allowed shipments valued at $800 or less, imported by one person on one day, to enter the US free of duty with minimal paperwork. It was widely used for direct-to-consumer e-commerce.
As of October 2026, CBP treats duty-free de minimis as suspended for goods from all countries. The suspension began on August 29, 2025 and has been continued by executive order and CBP rules since. Congress has also legislated the end of the exemption, effective July 1, 2027.
Shipments ordered by the pallet or container were almost always above the threshold anyway. The practical change for businesses is that small sample and spare-part shipments now need an entry and pay duty, so build that into sample costs.
Sources: CBP: e-commerce FAQs . Checked October 2026.
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