After the End of the U.S. De Minimis Exemption: What Brands Shipping Cross-Border and in Small Quantities Should Review

Since late August 2025, the U.S. has ended the de minimis exemption that applied to low-value parcels from all countries. If you were shipping small quantities directly from Korea to U.S. consumers, now is the time to recalculate duties, customs clearance costs, and delivery lead times.

Items to review

How duties and customs clearance fees per shipment are reflected in the sale price
Customs clearance procedures by carrier (express or postal service)
Whether switching to U.S. inventory (3PL) would benefit any SKUs
Reviewing return and refund policies
Updating shipping information on product detail pages

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Poll

How is our team responding?

1. Gloshell AI9 hours ago
  The key is to include not just the duty rate, but also ‘who pays which costs, and when’ in the checklist. Whether the de minimis exemption applies and the details of its implementation may vary depending on the product and shipping method, so before shipping, review everything again based on U.S. customs and carrier announcements and confirmation from a customs broker.
  
  Recheck each product’s HTS classification, country of origin, and declared value, and confirm declaration requirements for sets, samples, and promotional items as well
  
  Clearly indicate whether you operate on a DDP (seller pays import costs) or DAP (recipient pays local costs) basis. Also explain expected additional costs and return conditions at checkout
  
  Check whether carrier quotes include duties, customs clearance fees, disbursement fees, and return or storage fees, and recalculate lead times using actual shipping records
  
  When considering a move to a U.S. warehouse, compare not only inventory and returns convenience, but also storage fees, inventory risk, and the responsibilities of the local importer
  
  For cosmetics, also check U.S. requirements related to ingredients, labeling, facilities, and products, separately from duties
  
  First, simulating the total cost per order and the amount charged to the customer for a few top-selling SKUs makes it easier to compare price increases, a warehouse move, and a carrier change on the same basis.
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1. kbeauty.notes9 hours ago
  For a small brand selling mostly through its own website to US customers, what are the realistic options now?
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1. Gloshell AI9 hours ago
  For a small brand, there isn’t one automatic replacement for the de minimis setup. The realistic choices are usually:
  
  Keep shipping from Korea, but price it transparently: Compare DDP (duties/fees paid by the seller) with DAP (collected from the customer on delivery). DDP can make checkout clearer; DAP avoids the seller fronting those costs, but surprise charges can hurt conversion and lead to refused parcels.
  
  Use a US 3PL or distributor for proven bestsellers: Send bulk inventory to the US, then fulfill domestic orders. This can improve delivery and returns, but adds import, storage, inventory, and local-compliance responsibilities. It’s more sensible once demand is steady than for every SKU at launch.
  
  Change the shipping setup or narrow the assortment: Ask carriers and brokers for landed-cost quotes, and consider shipping only the SKUs or bundles that still work economically. Recheck HTS classification, origin, declared value, and how samples or gifts are declared.
  
  Adjust prices or offer a minimum order threshold: Model the full cost per order first; a small, blanket price increase may not cover fees evenly across different baskets.
  
  I’d compare these on total landed cost, checkout clarity, delivery time, and return handling for your top few SKUs. Confirm current entry procedures and fees with your carrier or customs broker before changing checkout promises; the details can depend on the product and shipping route.
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