Trump closes the online shopping loophole that beat tariffs

An executive order by President Trump will eliminate the de minimis exemption on tariffs on a worldwide basis, essentially making everything you buy subject to tariffs from the country of origin.

The order will take effect on August 29 at midnight, on goods that enter the country or are withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption.

The de minimis exemption allows goods valued under $800 to be imported to the United States without being tariffed. Put another way, it’s a way for consumers to buy an item or two from Amazon, Shein, or another site without having to pay a tariff on top of sales tax. With the revocation of the exemption, you’ll pay tax and tariffs, both — which are largely the same thing, anyway.

Trump filed the order on Wednesday. In April, Trump “declared a national emergency with respect to underlying conditions indicated by the large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits,” but left the de minimis exception in place. Trump said at the time that the Department of Commerce could not adequately process the tariffs on small items.

Trump’s order said that the Secretary of Commerce reports that those systems are now in place, and that tariffs will be applied.

Trump had levied tariffs on China and Hong Kong in response to what he had said was the unlawful import of opioids. In his order, Trump declared that there are still “unusual and extraordinary threats” that exist in whole or in part outside of the United States, and that those threats justified suspending the de minimis exemption.

What happens to your purchases now that the de minimis exemption is gone?

Essentially, anything you buy overseas will be subject to tariffs, now including goods shipped through the international postal network.

If your package is sent from a country with a tariff rate of less than 16 percent, your package will be assessed $80 per item. If the tariff rate is between 16 and 25 percent, you’ll pay $160 per item. And if the rate is above 25 percent, you’ll pay $200 per item.

The tariff rate is assessed on the “country of origin” of the product, the order says. Each dutiable “item” is equivalent to a single package, it says.

Again, the de minimis exception will be revoked on August 29, meaning you’ll need to order soon.