Unsure how these changes affect your business?

Talk to Starlinks Global, we can offer a choice of clearance methods and are happy to advise.

📰 TIMELINE OF EVENTS

02/07/2025

📢 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗗𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴?

The Senate has passed the “Big Beautiful” budget bill (now dubbed the “Megabill”) by a single vote: 51 to 50.

It now moves to the House of Representatives, where it must pass without amendments to reach the President’s desk.

🔁 𝗔 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸:

• The 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 by 1st July 2027.
• Reinserted to help offset healthcare and tax cuts — scoring around $𝟰𝟬 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 in revenue.

🖋 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿:

• A move to eliminate de minimis via Executive Order is expected sooner than July 2027.

• It may potentially be linked to trade actions around 𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆, when the reciprocal tariff pause expires, however there is forceful lobbying ongoing to prevent this.

📦 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀, 𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘆

Current duties stack as follows:
• Standard Duty Rate
• Section 301 Tariff
• 10% Fentanyl Tariff (Feb 2025)
• 10% Fentanyl Tariff (Mar 2025)
• 10% “Reciprocal Tariff” (May 2025)

🧾 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?
• A 𝟯𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 is being discussed.

• For 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹, origin posts may be expected to collect and remit duty.

• In 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀, DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is the advised route.

• 𝗗𝗔𝗣 (Delivered at Place) may create a poor delivery experience for consignees who are not used to paying duty on demand — potentially leading to increased undeliverables and refunds.

29/05/25

📣 Legal Update: Court Ruling Challenges Trump’s Tariffs

On 28th May 2025, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a landmark ruling declaring that the tariffs introduced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the so-called "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs, were unlawfully imposed.

⚖️ What the Court Said:

• The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority under IEEPA by imposing broad, revenue-raising tariffs.

• The decision emphasises that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs for trade or tax policy purposes.
A permanent injunction has been issued to block further collection of the tariffs.

🧾 If Upheld, This Could Mean:

• De minimis may be reinstated for China and Hong Kong.

• Tariffs already paid under the IEEPA-based reciprocal regime could become eligible for refunds.

⚠️ What Happens Now?

The decision has been immediately appealed by the Trump administration. Until the appeals court rules, the injunction may be stayed or overturned. This introduces a new layer of uncertainty to the evolving U.S. trade policy environment.

👉 We’ll continue monitoring developments and will update this page as the legal process unfolds.

12/05/25

CBP Summit + Geneva Talks – Full Update for Retailers

The past week has brought two significant developments impacting cross-border eCommerce and parcel clearance into the USA.

1. 📅 U.S. CBP Trade & Cargo Security Summit

Held 6th–8th May 2025

CBP reconfirmed their current enforcement approach on de minimis and China/Hong Kong origin goods.

Key updates from the Summit:

• De minimis entry volumes have dropped 85% since 2nd May (4 million per day to around 600,000).

• CBP enforcement approach remains unchanged:

Parcels entering the USA through the postal channel without a visible Country of Origin may be opened by CBP. If found to be of China or Hong Kong origin, they face stacked duties and will be moved to Formal Clearance.

• Valuation reminder:
CBP also restated that, with de minimis no longer applicable to China and Hong Kong origin goods, the customs value of goods would be determined in accordance with the provisions of the US Customs Valuation statute in 19 U.S.C. 1401a. Transaction value is the primary method of appraisement which is based on the price actually paid or payable. The price actually paid or payable is the total payment made by the buyer to the seller.

• B2B2C warning:
→ CBP is closely monitoring B2B2C models and under-declaration risks. Retailers should ensure accurate declarations to avoid penalties.

🔗 View the CBP eCommerce FAQ

2. 📅 USA-China Bilateral Trade Talks

Held 10th–11th May 2025 in Geneva

• USA and China agreed to a 90-day temporary tariff reduction:
➡️ The reciprocal tariffs will drop from 125% to 10%. Still subject to the additional 20% Fentanyl tariffs on all goods plus existing Section 301 tariffs and any base rate tariffs.

➡️ No mention was made of any reinstatement of de minimis for China origin goods.

🔗 Read the USA-China joint statement

30/04/2025

📢 Tariff Stacking Revisions Begin – But Only for Specific Sectors (For Now)

Two new Executive Orders were published on the 29th April signalling the first shift in how stacked tariffs are applied to U.S. imports. While not yet directly affecting eCommerce or retail shipments, this is a notable development that could pave the way for further adjustments in the weeks ahead.

What’s Changed:
The new Executive Orders relate specifically to removal of tariff stacking for select sectors:
• Automobiles and Auto Parts
• Northern and Southern Border Duties
• Steel & Aluminium Tariffs

🔗 View Executive Order: Tariff Adjustments

🔗 View Executive Order: Automobiles & Auto Parts

These changes currently apply to:
• Proclamation 10908 (Auto Tariffs)
• Executive Orders 14193, 14194, 14197, 14198, 14226, 14227, 14231, and 14232 (Border Duties)
• Proclamations 9704, 9705, 9980, 10895, 10896 (Steel & Aluminium Tariffs)

What remains unchanged:
• Section 301 Tariffs
• Fentanyl-Linked Tariffs

These still stack alongside the base duty and the reciprocal tariff — and remain highly relevant for many consumer goods, including products of China and Hong Kong origin.

Postal Channel Implementation Challenges
CBP and USPS have maintained (for now) that:

• Goods sent from countries like the UK but of China or Hong Kong origin are subject to full stacked duties.
• Where no Country of Origin (COO) is declared (e.g., on the CN22 form), CBP may open parcels to determine origin.
• If duty is deemed payable, CBP will apply a notice to the parcel and return it to USPS to collect payment from the recipient.
• In high-volume situations, CBP may escalate shipments to formal clearance, requiring the recipient to appoint a clearance broker.

23/04/2025

UPDATE: CBP Confirms Postal Shipments WILL Be Subject to Duty

Overnight, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a clarification that contradicts previous USPS guidance and significantly changes the landscape for postal clearance.

What CBP Now Says:

• CBP has confirmed that goods made in China or Hong Kong do not qualify for de minimis through postal clearance, even if warehoused and shipped from another country like the UK.

• These shipments must file an informal or formal entry and pay the full 145% tariff rate — with no mechanism currently available in the postal system to do this and no clarity on whether the duties will stack as per commercial clearance.

What This Means in Practice:

❌ The USPS "Country of Export" approach no longer holds up under CBP enforcement.

❌ There’s no current mechanism in the postal environment to file informal/formal entries.

❌ Country of Origin isn’t a mandatory data field in the postal channel,  so it is unclear how postal authorities are meant to enforce this.

⚠️ Commercial clearance (Type 11 and Type 01 – Formal including the B2B2C model) are at risk of delay from 2nd May due to the increased number of shipments requiring release and the time and resource required to do this

✅ Type 86 does not face these disruptions but cannot be used for China and Hong Kong origin goods from the 2^nd May

Still in Place:

For postal shipments sent directly FROM China or Hong Kong:

• Airline carriers will collect duties at a flat rate of 120% or

• $100 from 2nd May, rising to $200 from 1st June 2025

• These options are not available for shipments sent via postal clearance from any other country like the UK.

14/04/25 

Country of Export confirmed on Postal Shipments

USPS have confirmed that the de minimis withdrawal on the postal channel from 2nd May applies only to goods sent directly FROM China and Hong Kong.

What this means:

• A postal shipment sent from the UK (even if the goods are made in China) will be treated as a UK export and remain eligible for de minimis clearance into the USA.

• The reciprocal tariff rate on commercial clearance has increased to 125% for goods of Chinese or Hong Kong origin.

For postal shipments sent FROM China or Hong Kong:

• The reciprocal tariff is now 120%

• or $100 from the 2nd May, rising to $200 from the 1st June.

10/04/2025 08:30

Reciprocal Tariff rises Again

Trump announced last night that duties on Chinese imports would be increased again due to a “lack of respect” from Beijing. The reciprocal tariff is the number that has been constantly changing. On the 2^nd April it was 34%, it then changed to 84% from the 8^th April and then became 125% on the 9^th April so that number is regularly changing and we would expect to see further changes.

📽️Watch this Video for an explanation of what this latest order means...

09/04/25 07:30

Major Tariff Increases Announced on Low-Value Imports from China and Hong Kong

In a sweeping new Executive Order posted overnight, the White House has confirmed a significant escalation in duties on goods imported from China and Hong Kong.

Key Changes:

• Additional 50% Duty Applied: Reciprocal Duty rates have increased from 34% to 84%, effective immediately. De Minimis will be withdrawn on the commercial clearance channel for goods of China and Hong Kong origin from 2nd May.

• From 2nd May 2025 Postal imports from China and Hong Kong will face a 90% duty or a flat fee of $75, up from the previous $25.

• From 1st June 2025 this flat fee will rise again to $150, replacing the previous $50 charge.

For full details, read the official Executive Order here.

03/04/25 06:30

Liberation Day Explained

After last night's "Liberation Day" press conference, where President Donald Trump announced a host of "Reciprocal Tariffs" with imports on China-origin goods rising to 34%, the full Executive Order on De Minimis has just been published.  

View Executive Order >

(Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports)

This means that China and Hong Kong-origin goods will 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 $𝟴𝟬𝟬 𝗱𝘂𝘁𝘆-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 de minimis 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱.

This is a seismic shift for cross-border eCommerce — and it starts in 30 days.

📌 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗻𝗼𝘄:

• De Minimis ends for China & Hong Kong from 2 May

• It applies on Country of Origin for commercial clearance

• It may apply only on Country of Export for postal clearance and not on Country of Origin (still to be clarified)

• Standard base rate duty plus 301 tariff plus additional tariff surcharge will apply on commercial clearance shipments

• Postal clearance will attract duty of either 30% of the value or $25 per item rising to $50 from the 1^st June

The Executive Order that covers reciprocal tariffs has a subsection (h) that alludes to potential and wider de minimis changes that could impact other countries. It is reliant on notification by the Secretary of Commerce to the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and expeditiously process and collect duty revenue applicable. Ater such notification duty-free de minimis shall not be available.

Further information will be shared as it becomes available.

View Executive Order > 

02/04/25

Update on Timings

We are expecting a formal announcement from the Trump administration at 9pm tonight (UK time), so will provide more details tomorrow (3rd April).

31/03/25

Announcements coming soon

We’re expecting an announcement in the next couple of days that the de minimis exemption on China and Hong Kong origin goods is being withdrawn again — a major shift for anyone shipping into the U.S.