Chinese parcels hit by taxes starting today

All packages from China, even those containing cheap items purchased in bulk by Americans, have been hit by punitive customs duties in the United States since Friday.

Packages from China and Hong Kong were previously exempt from customs duties if their value did not exceed $800. But this exemption, known as "de minimis," ended at 4:01 a.m. GMT on Friday amid the trade war between Beijing and Washington. This mechanism had notably allowed Chinese e-commerce giants Temu, Shein, and AliExpress to expand into the United States by offering clothing, home goods, and electronics at low prices.

Specifically, packages shipped by private carriers like UPS and FedEx are now subject to 145% customs duties, as are all Chinese products crossing the border since the beginning of April. Those shipped by postal services are subject to either customs duties representing 120% of their value or a flat rate of $100. This flat rate is set to increase to $200 on June 1.

According to AFP findings on Friday, Chinese e-commerce platforms, whose business model is thus being called into question, have adopted different strategies. At AliExpress (Alibaba group), products arriving directly from China suddenly cost more at checkout, with "import charges" added. For example, for the purchase of headphones listed at $8.74, the bill jumps by $12.67 to cover the new 145% customs duty, bringing the total to $21.41 excluding local tax and delivery.

On the other hand, on Temu's American site, the featured products now feature a small green label stating "Local." This doesn't mean they're produced in the United States, but rather that they're already in warehouses in the country and therefore exempt from the new customs duties. "This means you won't have to pay customs fees," the company emphasizes to reassure buyers.

When contacted, the company indicated that it was "changing its operating model": "All of its sales" in the United States are now supplied "by sellers based" there. However, this strategy risks running out of inventory due to a lack of new shipments from China. More than four million packages benefiting from the exemption were previously arriving in the United States each day, according to the White House.

Also facing an influx of parcels, France suggested last week charging "handling fees" on those arriving from countries outside the European Union (EU). These flat-rate fees would apply from 2026 until 2028, when the EU could remove the current customs duty exemption on parcels worth less than €150.