If you used to ship $30 phone cases or $70 jewelry pieces to US customers without worrying about customs, that era is over. The US de minimis end for e-commerce sellers means the old $800 duty-free threshold no longer protects any shipment, no matter how small. Since 29 August 2025 the exemption has been suspended for parcels from every country, US Customs and Border Protection made that suspension indefinite across all transport modes on 24 June 2026, and a 2025 law is set to end de minimis permanently on 1 July 2027. For a seller shipping from Turkey, this isn't a future warning — it's already how every US-bound package is being treated.
What the US de minimis end actually changes
Before the suspension, a shipment valued under $800 could usually clear US customs without duty or a formal entry. That shortcut is gone. Today:
- Every parcel to the US needs a customs entry, regardless of declared value.
- Duty is calculated based on the product's 10-digit HTS code, not a flat rate.
- If you use a courier like FedEx, the carrier clears the shipment and bills the duty to your recipient — unless you've arranged to ship duties paid.
- There's no US federal VAT to worry about. State sales tax is a seller/marketplace matter, not something collected at the border.
In practice, this means a $15 keychain and a $400 jacket go through the same customs logic now. The only real difference is how much duty each one attracts, and that depends entirely on classification.
Why your HTS code matters more than ever
Duty rates aren't set per shipment — they're set per product, based on its HTS code. A vague description like "accessories" or "gift item" invites a customs officer to pick the classification for you, which often means delays or the wrong duty amount charged to your buyer. Before your next US shipment, check that:
- Each product has a specific, accurate description (material, function, use).
- You or your fulfillment process assigns a real HS/HTS code, not a placeholder.
- Variants with different materials (leather vs synthetic, for example) are coded separately if the duty rate differs.
If you're unsure how to structure this for recurring US orders, the shipping to the USA guide walks through the documentation side in more detail.
A quick pre-shipment checklist
- Confirm the HTS code for every SKU you sell to US buyers — not just your bestsellers.
- Check if your product category has extra rules. Food shipments need FDA Prior Notice before arrival; homemade or unlabelled food is frequently refused at the border.
- Label textiles and clothing correctly. US customs expects a visible country of origin ("Made in Turkey") and fibre content on the label — missing labels are a common cause of holds.
- Rule out banned items. Counterfeit branded goods, CBD or cannabis-related products, and most plant and soil products are not allowed into the US, regardless of value.
- Decide who pays duty — your recipient by default, or you, if you're shipping duties paid to avoid a surprise bill at delivery.
- Attach a proper invoice. If you issue e-Archive invoices, you can connect that process directly when creating the shipment's e-invoice so the right paperwork travels with the parcel.
Choosing a carrier now that speed and clearance both matter
With every parcel subject to a customs entry, the carrier handling that entry affects how fast your package actually reaches the buyer. On Kargobaz, three options are available for US shipments, each with a different balance of speed:
- FedEx — estimated delivery in 2-4 business days with its fastest service.
- PTT — estimated delivery in 3-7 business days with its fastest service.
- Widect — estimated delivery in 4-10 business days with its fastest service.
None of these is automatically the "right" choice for every seller — a handmade ceramics shop shipping one-off pieces has different priorities than someone sending 50 phone cases a week. You can compare current rates for each option in the price table below, or run your own numbers through the shipping calculator before committing to a service.
Mistakes that get shipments held at US customs right now
Since the suspension took effect, a few recurring issues show up more often than before:
- Underdeclaring value to try to recreate the old duty-free effect — this doesn't work anymore and can trigger a closer inspection.
- Generic product descriptions on the commercial invoice, which slow down HTS classification.
- Skipping FDA Prior Notice for food items, assuming a small jar of honey or spice blend won't be checked.
- Missing fibre content labels on apparel, especially for small-batch or handmade clothing brands.
- Not telling buyers duty may apply, leading to refused deliveries when the recipient doesn't expect to pay.
That last point is worth building into your checkout or order confirmation message. A buyer who knows in advance that duty might be billed on delivery is far less likely to abandon the package.
What stays the same
It's not all new rules. If you already import orders automatically through a store integration, that workflow doesn't change — you still create labels, attach customs documents and hand the parcel to a courier the same way. What's different is the paperwork behind each shipment now has to hold up to a real customs check every time, not just occasionally for higher-value orders. For sellers shipping to the US regularly, treating every order — even a $10 one — with the same documentation discipline as a $500 order is the simplest way to avoid delays going forward.
