UPDATED 10th February 2025: A further Executive Order was signed over the weekend that effectively suspends the below until further notice.
This new EO postpones the suspension of the De Minimis treatment for products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong until the Administration notifies that adequate systems are in place to effectively process and collect tariff revenue under IEEPA.
This means that the $800 De Minimis for shipments containing products made in China and Hong Kong is effectively reinstated.
Buyers in the USA should be aware that effective from 4th February 2025, any items that they purchase from sellers outside the USA will be subject to payment of import duties/taxes where the product has a Country Of Origin/Manufacture specified as either China or Hong Kong.
US Customs Regulatory Changes
On February 1, 2025, U.S. President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) to impose additional tariffs on products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong (Made in China/Hong Kong), invoking emergency economic powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) with an effective date of 12:01a.m. Eastern time on February 4, 2025.
The Executive Order (EO) also suspends De Minimis (DM) treatment for all products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong impacted by these actions. Further, no duty drawback shall be available with respect to the duties imposed under IEEPA.
All products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong, regardless of where they are shipped from, will no longer be eligible for De Minimis (DM) entry and require informal or formal entry processing.
These products will be subject to import customs duties based on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), which may include up to three different duties, including:
- General Duty Rate (majority range from 2.5% to 6%),
- Section 301 (range from 7.5% to 100%), and
- The newly implemented IEEPA (10%).
Key Takeaways
All products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong, regardless of where they are shipped from, are now subject to a newly implemented IEEPA tariff of 10% . This Tariff applies in addition to the applicable existing tariffs: General duty rate and Section 301.
✓ All products with Country of Origin (COO) China and Hong Kong, regardless of where they are
shipped from, will no longer be eligible for De Minimis (DM) entry and require informal or formal
entry processing.
Receivers in the USA
- Be ready to provide additional information or supportive documentation that may be required for clearance purposes.
- Additional information may include additional product information, proof of Country of Origin (COO) of the good, and ultimate consignee’s Tax ID/social security number (with supportive documentation).
- Ensure that the shipper provides complete and accurate data in the air waybill and commercial invoice when creating a shipment with DHL Express, ideally via one of the DHL Electronic Shipping Solutions/integrations.
Our responsibility as a shipper to the USA
As a responsible exporter, ARKS Global already provides detailed information on products when creating shipments, and these are submitted electronically, including Country Of Origin, Harmonised Tariff Code and consignment value.
Unfortunately a majority of the products we supply are invariably manufactured in China, so will be subject to payment of tax/duties on import into the USA until further notice.
Please do not ask us to amend or falsify customs information as we are unable to do this for you.
We are aware that some of the Country Of Origin/Manufacture details shown on our eBay listings may be incorrect or outdated; while we work to ensure that this is correct and accurate, you’re welcome to contact us via eBay message and our customer service team will be able to confirm that product’s country of origin/manufacture for you, if that helps you to make an informed purchasing decision.
