Shipping packages from China to the US now means paying duties on every parcel, no matter how small. The $800 de minimis exemption that let low-value Chinese shipments enter duty-free ended on May 2, 2025, and multiple layers of tariffs sit on top of standard duty rates for most products. What you actually pay depends on how the package moves, what’s inside it, and how accurately the paperwork is filled out.
What You’ll Owe on a Package From China
The duty picture has several layers, and they stack. A single product can carry a standard Harmonized Tariff Schedule rate, a Section 301 tariff, and in some cases an anti-dumping duty, all at once.
The End of De Minimis
Section 1321 of Title 19 still allows duty-free entry for shipments valued at $800 or less, but that exemption no longer applies to goods from China or Hong Kong. Since May 2, 2025, every Chinese-origin shipment must clear customs with the applicable duties paid.1The White House. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Closes De Minimis Exemptions
How the duties are collected depends on the route. Packages moving through the international postal network pay either an ad valorem duty (a percentage of declared value) or a flat per-item duty, with the carrier choosing which to apply. Packages moving through express couriers or commercial freight must be entered through the Automated Commercial Environment system with duties paid under standard entry procedures.2The White House. Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports Either way, expect the duty either at checkout or from the carrier before delivery.
Splitting an order into several small parcels to duck a threshold is not a workaround. The statute specifically bars forwarding goods from a single order in separate lots to claim an exemption.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 19 – 1321
Section 301 Tariffs
Most Chinese products carry an additional tariff under Section 301 of the Trade Act on top of the standard HTS rate. Products on Lists 1 through 3 face an added 25%; List 4A products face an added 7.5%.4United States Trade Representative. China Section 301-Tariff Actions and Exclusion Process
A four-year review in 2024 and 2025 added further increases ranging from 25% to 100% on specific categories, phased in through 2026. Electric vehicles, solar cells, steel, aluminum, semiconductors, and certain medical supplies face the steepest rates. Some product-specific exclusions have been extended through late 2026. To find your exact rate, look up the item’s classification in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission.5United States International Trade Commission. Harmonized Tariff Schedule
Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties
Certain Chinese products carry another layer of duties intended to offset unfairly low pricing or foreign government subsidies. Anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders can add 50% to over 200% on top of everything else. The list changes as the International Trade Administration opens and closes investigations, with recent cases covering float glass, plywood, graphite electrodes, steel fencing, and battery materials.6International Trade Administration. EC ADCVD Case Announcements Goods subject to AD/CVD orders are also excluded from any remaining de minimis treatment.7U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Proposes New Rule to Strengthen Enforcement and Limit Duty
Choosing a Shipping Method
Speed, cost, and how much customs handling you’re willing to manage all move together. Four options cover almost every route.
Postal and ePacket
China Post and ePacket handle most lightweight consumer parcels under two kilograms, riding available cargo space on commercial flights. Delivery typically runs two to four weeks. Tracking is thin during transit and customs processing is slower than through commercial carriers. Postal parcels from China now carry per-item or ad valorem duties collected by the carrier before delivery.
Express Couriers
FedEx, UPS, and DHL run their own aircraft and act as customs brokers for shipments they carry, handling entry paperwork and collecting duties. Transit runs three to five business days. Expect brokerage fees added on top of duties and tariffs. For time-sensitive shipments or fragile goods, the premium often pays for itself.
Air Freight
Commercial air cargo fills the gap between express couriers and ocean freight, delivering to U.S. gateway airports in 5 to 10 days including customs clearance. It works best for shipments in the 100- to 500-kilogram range where speed justifies the per-kilogram cost.
Ocean Freight
Businesses moving large volumes ship by sea, with transit times of 20 to 40 days depending on the route. Full Container Load rents you an entire 20-foot or 40-foot container at a flat rate. Less than Container Load lets you share space and pay only for the volume you use. The breakeven point sits around 13 to 15 cubic meters. LCL adds handling time on both ends because containers have to be consolidated at origin and separated at destination.
Paperwork That Keeps a Shipment Moving
Vague or missing documentation is the most common reason packages from China get held, and every day at a bonded warehouse adds storage costs.
Commercial Invoice
Every shipment needs a commercial invoice with a detailed description of each item, quantity, unit price, buyer and seller identification, country of origin, and shipping terms. Descriptions like “gift” or “merchandise” trigger inspection routinely.8eCFR. 19 CFR 141.86 – Contents of Invoices and General Requirements “Stainless steel kitchen shears, 10 units” moves through the system; “household items” does not. Each product also needs an eight-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule classification so the correct duty applies.9eCFR. 19 CFR 142.6 – Invoice Requirements
Importer Security Filing for Ocean Cargo
Ocean shipments require an Importer Security Filing, called 10+2, submitted electronically before the container is loaded at the foreign port. The importer provides 10 data elements including seller and buyer information, manufacturer name and address, country of origin, HTS classification, and the physical location where goods were loaded; the steamship line provides two more.10eCFR. 19 CFR Part 149 – Importer Security Filing Late, inaccurate, or missing filings can trigger liquidated damages of $5,000 per violation.11U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Import Security Filing (ISF) – When to Submit to CBP
Customs Broker
Commercial shipments over $2,500 generally require a licensed customs broker to handle formal entry, which means signing a Power of Attorney. Standard entries typically run $150 to $400 or more depending on complexity and port. Express carriers include basic brokerage for smaller shipments but charge their own processing fees.
Items That Get Seized or Held
Some goods face more than duties. A few categories carry outright seizure risk or require sign-off from another federal agency before they can enter.
Counterfeits
Packages containing counterfeit trademarked merchandise are seized and, absent written consent from the trademark owner, forfeited and destroyed under 19 U.S.C. ยง 1526(e).12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 19 – 1526 Civil fines run up to the value the goods would have had if genuine for a first offense, and up to twice that on subsequent seizures.13eCFR. 19 CFR 133.27 – Civil Fines for Those Involved in the Importation of Merchandise Bearing a Counterfeit Mark A $30 knockoff handbag that would sell for $2,000 authentic carries a $2,000 exposure, not a $30 exposure.
Lithium Batteries
Electronics with lithium-ion batteries move as hazardous materials. Cells rated at 20 watt-hours or less and batteries rated at 100 watt-hours or less qualify for simplified procedures. Above those thresholds, packaging, labeling, and documentation rules tighten. Standalone lithium-ion batteries shipped by air must be at 30% state of charge or less. Starting January 2026, batteries packed with equipment face the same reduced state-of-charge rule for air transport.
Food, Cosmetics, and Medical Devices
The FDA requires prior notice before any food arrives: at least 4 hours before air arrival, at least 8 hours before ocean arrival, and before mailing for international mail.14eCFR. 21 CFR 1.279 – When Must Prior Notice Be Submitted to FDA Food without proper prior notice, or from an unregistered foreign facility, can be refused and destroyed. Food importers also fall under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, which puts hazard evaluation and supplier verification duties on the importer.
Children’s Products
Products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under require a Children’s Product Certificate, backed by testing at a CPSC-accredited third-party lab for lead, phthalates, and other applicable standards. The importer, not the foreign manufacturer, issues the certificate.15eCFR. 16 CFR Part 1110 – Certificates of Compliance Beginning July 8, 2026, electronic filing of these certificates through the Automated Commercial Environment becomes mandatory.
Wood Packaging
Commercial shipments on wooden pallets, crates, or dunnage must meet the international ISPM 15 standard: heat-treated to 56 degrees Celsius at the core for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated with methyl bromide, and stamped with the IPPC mark.16APHIS. Export ISPM 15-Compliant Wood Packaging Material From the United States to Another Country Non-compliant packaging can hold up the entire shipment for treatment at the importer’s cost or force re-export.17U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Wood Packaging Materials
What a Customs Hold Actually Costs
Not every package is opened. CBP selects shipments for exam based on declared value, product type, shipper history, and targeting algorithms. The importer pays for the exam. An X-ray scan can add $150 to $350. A full intensive exam, where the container is moved to a separate facility, unloaded, inspected, and reloaded, runs $1,500 to $5,000 or more. Storage, drayage, and demurrage fees during the hold typically push the total higher.
Don’t Forget State Use Tax
Federal duties are not the end of the tax picture. Most states impose a use tax on goods bought from overseas sellers when no sales tax was collected at purchase. Buy directly from a Chinese seller’s website with no tax on the receipt and you likely owe use tax to your state at your local sales tax rate. Marketplace platforms like Amazon, Temu, and Shein generally collect and remit this automatically as marketplace facilitators; direct purchases outside those platforms leave the obligation with the buyer. Most states include a line on the annual income tax return for reporting untaxed purchases.