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President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5, 2025 amendment temporarily paused the scheduled end of duty-free de minimis treatment for certain China-origin goods. The pause was conditional, and it did not remain the final policy: a July 2025 order suspended the treatment for all countries, and a February 2026 order continued that suspension.
What order did Trump suspend?
The Feb. 5, 2025 amendment kept duty-free de minimis treatment available for otherwise eligible covered articles until the Commerce Secretary notified the President that adequate systems were in place to process and collect the applicable tariff revenue. The White House described that condition in the amendment; The Verge reported the action as a pause on removing the exemption for goods from China.
In the amendment’s words, “Duty-free de minimis treatment under 19 U.S.C. 1321 is available for otherwise eligible covered articles described in subsection (a) of this section, but shall cease to be available for such articles upon notification by the Secretary of Commerce to the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue applicable pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for covered articles otherwise eligible for de minimis treatment.” White House amendment, Feb. 5, 2025
Why did the change cause delivery confusion?
The Verge reported that USPS first stopped accepting packages from China and Hong Kong, then restarted acceptance. It also reported that customers saw additional import fees on packages from China, and that Shein and Temu relied on direct shipment under the de minimis rule. The report did not quantify delays, fees, or the overall effect on consumers.
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At the time, The Verge described the rule as allowing packages valued below $800 to enter duty-free. That figure describes the historical context of the February 2025 report, not the current rule.
How did the policy change after February 2025?
| Date | Policy action | Scope and significance |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 5, 2025 | The amendment paused the scheduled removal of de minimis treatment for covered articles until the Commerce Secretary reported that adequate collection systems were in place. | Applied to the covered goods described in the amendment; it was not a permanent restoration of the exemption. |
| July 30, 2025 | The White House suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries. | The order said the Commerce Secretary had reported systems were in place to process and collect duties globally. White House order, July 30, 2025 |
| February 2026 | A further White House order continued the suspension. | It addressed shipments sent through the international postal network and directed CBP to collect applicable duties. White House order, February 2026 |
Are packages under $800 still duty-free?
The under-$800 threshold was how The Verge described the rule in February 2025. It should not be treated as the current duty-free allowance: the later White House orders suspended de minimis treatment more broadly, and the February 2026 order continued that suspension, including for international postal shipments.
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These orders establish the policy sequence, not a complete guide to how every shipment is processed today. Specific charges and handling can depend on the shipment and applicable CBP procedures. For a current import or delivery question, check the latest CBP instructions rather than relying on the February 2025 threshold or USPS’s temporary service changes reported at the time.
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