De Minimis Postal Suspension July 24 2026: What Changes at 800 USD

CBP's June 23 2026 proposed rules indefinitely suspend the de minimis duty exemption for low-value imports entering the US through the international postal network. Effective July 24 2026.

This is a materially different scope than the earlier August 2025 suspension of de minimis for Chinese-origin postal shipments. The July 24 2026 rules broaden the suspension to postal traffic from all origins, on all product categories other than the narrow gift and personal-effect carve-outs.

This article covers what de minimis is, what the July 24 rules do, what does and does not still move duty-free, worked examples across origin and product, and what small-parcel importers should be doing before the effective date.

What de minimis was

19 USC 1321 permits informal customs entry for shipments below a value threshold, set at 800 USD per consignee per day for the US since the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 raised it from 200 USD. Informal entry means no duty, no formal broker fee, and abbreviated CBP paperwork. Section 321 has been the default entry pathway for the vast majority of cross-border ecommerce parcels entering the US.

Volume-wise, more than 1 billion de minimis entries per year at CBP as of 2025 (up from about 220 million in 2016), with China origin dominating the tally.

What the July 24 rules do

Two CBP proposed rules, both effective July 24 2026 on postal traffic:

1. Postal de minimis suspension. Packages entering the US through the international postal network (that is, via foreign posts routed to USPS for last-mile) no longer qualify for the 19 USC 1321 informal entry exemption. Duty is collected at the applicable rate.

2. Postal collection mechanism. CBP establishes a duty collection process at the international mail facility, using foreign-post data feeds and settlement mechanisms with the origin postal administration.

The rules are indefinite. They do not sunset. Congressional action or a subsequent CBP rulemaking would be required to restore the pre-July-24 posture.

What still moves duty-free

The following remain unaffected by the July 24 rules and continue to enter duty-free through the postal channel:

• Gifts up to 100 USD per US recipient (200 USD if from a US person abroad), per 19 USC 1321(a)(2)(A) and the informal entry regulations. Documentation on the parcel must state the gift nature and value.
• Personal effects for returning travelers under HTSUS Chapter 98 provisions.
• Commercial samples of no commercial value properly marked as such.
• Some low-value Chapter 98 categories (US goods returned, articles for scientific use, others).

The remaining commercial parcel flow, which is the dominant category of postal de minimis, moves to formal or informal-with-duty entry.

What still moves through express carriers

Express carrier consignments (DHL, FedEx, UPS, and their affiliates) are not directly affected by the July 24 postal rules. They continue to move under the existing S321 informal-entry rules, subject to the earlier restrictions:

• Chinese-origin: de minimis was suspended August 2025 for Chinese-origin regardless of channel. Chinese-origin express parcels continue to pay duty.
• Non-Chinese origin, under 800 USD, non-postal: continues to qualify for S321 informal entry duty-free.

Expect increased express-carrier volume as origin-country postal senders (particularly EU, UK, ASEAN, and other larger cross-border sellers) redirect their US-bound parcel flow away from postal channels to preserve the duty-free treatment. Express-carrier pricing has already begun to reflect this in Q2 2026.

Worked example: 400 USD electronics kit from China via postal

Pre-July 24 landed cost:

• Declared value: 400 USD
• De minimis: qualifies under 800 USD threshold on the Chinese-origin postal channel prior to 2025 suspension (already suspended for China origin as of Aug 2025)
• Post Aug 2025: already paying MFN 2.6 to 5 percent (HTS 8517 or similar) + Section 301 List 3 25 percent + Section 122 10 percent through July 23. Roughly 150 USD duty on 400 USD CIF.
• Post July 24 2026: same duty exposure. No change for Chinese-origin postal (already suspended a year earlier).

Worked example: 400 USD watch shipment from Switzerland via postal

Pre-July 24 landed cost:

• Declared value: 400 USD
• De minimis: qualified under 800 USD, entered duty-free through postal.
• Effective duty: 0 USD.

Post-July 24 landed cost:

• Declared value: 400 USD
• No de minimis via postal.
• MFN: HTS 9101 or 9102 depending on movement type. Chapter 91 mechanical watches often carry a specific-plus-ad-valorem duty. A common wristwatch line runs 44 cents each + 6 percent on the case + 2.6 percent on the strap. Very roughly 30 to 40 USD on a 400 USD wristwatch.
• Section 122: sunsets July 24. Not applicable to entries filed July 25 onward.
• Total duty: ~30 to 40 USD, plus formal entry paperwork (which may be handled at the international mail facility per the new collection mechanism).

The Swiss watch importer moves from paying nothing to paying ~10 percent on total shipment value, before any broker fee if the parcel is routed to informal entry.

Worked example: 600 USD kitchenware from Germany via express carrier

Not affected by July 24 postal rules. Continues to qualify for S321 through the express carrier channel (DHL, FedEx, UPS). Duty: 0 USD, provided the German-origin origin is properly declared and the shipment is below 800 USD.

Post-Aug 19 note: if the shipment is Canadian-origin instead of German, Section 338 Canada 50 percent kicks in on covered lines regardless of channel or value.

What small-parcel importers should do

1. Audit your parcel flow origin and channel. Split your inbound into postal vs express, and origin country. The postal-channel entries at 200 to 800 USD are the most exposed.

2. Reroute where possible. If your supplier can ship via express carrier instead of foreign post, you preserve the S321 duty-free treatment on non-Chinese origin. Expect express-carrier per-parcel cost to rise as demand for the surviving duty-free channel spikes.

3. Consolidate to formal entry when duty exceeds broker fee. If the per-shipment duty at your product's HTS runs above about 50 to 100 USD, formal entry with a customs broker becomes more efficient than informal-with-duty at the international mail facility.

4. Update your listing prices. Direct-to-consumer sellers shipping small parcels internationally to US buyers should update pricing to include the new duty exposure before July 24. Failure to do this transfers the cost to the recipient at the postal collection window, creating refusal-to-pay refunds and reputational damage.

5. Track the Federal Register final rule. The June 23 proposed rules had July 24 comment deadlines. CBP may modify the collection mechanism, the postal-vs-express boundary, or the exemption categories in the final rule. Comment feedback from cross-border industry associations (particularly ECA, IPC, and USPS) may reshape the specifics.

Related guides

• Section 321 explained
• Chinese-origin de minimis suspension August 2025
• Small parcel duty calculator
• Section 122 sunset July 24 2026

Citations

• CBP Proposed Rules, June 23 2026 (postal de minimis suspension, indefinite; comment deadline July 24 2026)
• 19 USC 1321, informal entry threshold
• Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (raised threshold from 200 to 800 USD)
• Executive Order August 2025 (Chinese-origin de minimis suspension)
• HTSUS Chapter 98 (informal-entry categories that survive)