Changes to Low-Value Import Shipment Rules

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has issued two recent notices regarding the importation of low value shipments into the U.S. under the Section 321 (de minimis) shipment rules. CBP is soliciting public comments for the next two months, then will issue the new rules which will likely take effect shortly thereafter.

Customs notes that over the past few years, the number of low-value shipments from companies like Temu, Shein and Amazon have increased dramatically. Today, over 4 million of these "low value" shipments enter the US every day, and CBP has noted that many of these imports violate CBP and other Federal Government agency rules. Shipments of illegal drugs and unsafe or counterfeit goods enter the US under the low-value shipments "loophole," and CBP fully intends to close the loophole and protect Americans and American businesses.

If your company currently utilizes the Section 321 (low-value) shipment exemption for imports into the US it would be wise to monitor the changes in the days ahead as regulatory changes will likely impact many of these imports. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me directly - [email protected].