New tariff is burdened by millions of Americans - chaos breaks out

New tariff is burdened by millions of Americans - chaos breaks out

Many Americans may not have perceived any noticeable effects of President Donald Trump's far -reaching tariffs - until now. The reason for this is the expiry of an important shipping allowance that ended on Friday at one o'clock after midnight. This amount known as the "de Minimis" exemption made it possible to import goods worth of up to $ 800 duty-free to the USA and often avoid time-consuming inspections and formalities.

changes in the shopping landscape

This regulation has fundamentally changed the shopping habits of many Americans and enables ultra-favorable Chinese e-commerce pages such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress to import everything from yarn to garden furniture to clothing and photo equipment into the USA. At the end of this exemption, the alarm bells on social media are beating: a basic tariff of up to 145 %, depending on the provider, becomes effective for Chinese imports, which could potentially double the costs for all the cheap products that have acquired merchant.

The effects on consumers

The end of the "de Minimis" exemption for Chinese goods will also transform abstract and complex trade policies into something tangible: a receipt. Large providers such as UPS, Fedex, DHL and the United States Postal Service state that they are prepared for changes. The government also assures that it is ready; A spokesman for the US customs and border protection announced CNN: "We are ready and equipped to carry out improved package checks and enforce the regulations effectively."

challenges for low -income households

However, the question remains whether the American consumers are prepared for the changes. When President Donald Trump initially closed the "de Minimis" exemption for goods from Hong Kong and China at the beginning of this year, there was a chaos. USPS temporarily stopped the delivery of packages from China, and the delivery times for sent packages extended considerably, while information on package tracking in the USA was limited.

The core of the problem is the enormous volume of packages. According to a report by the congress research service, more than 80 % of the total e-commerce deliveries in the United States came from “de Minimis” imports in 2022, the vast majority of which came from China. Customs stated that it was almost 4 million duty-free "de Minimis" programs every day, with the majority of these programs come from China and Hong Kong. In total, 1.36 billion packages came to the USA under the "de Minimis" exemption in the last financial year.

Preparations of the dealers and effects on prices

In the middle of these changes, consumers have increasingly reported from pages such as Temu and Shein that they are dependent on these dealers while they have the impression that products made in the USA have become unaffordable. Rena Scott, a 64-year-old pensioner from Virginia, recently said to CNN: "I can no longer afford the purchase at Temu, and I couldn't afford anything in this country beforehand."

households with lower incomes will suffer the most from the end of the cheap Chinese e-commerce pages. About 48 % of the "de Minimis" packages were delivered to the poorest postcode areas in the USA, while only 22 % went to the richest areas. The changes could be gradually made; Even before the “de Minimis” exemption ended, some retailers such as Shein and Temu increased prices.

conclusion and other developments

It is unclear whether other price increases can be expected from these retailers and others. The shipping service providers must also expect higher costs. DHL stated that he had increased the number of employees in order to cope with the additional volume of informal import processing. A basic tariff of 145 % plus additional product -related tariffs applies to goods from China and Hong Kong that are sent via UPS, DHL and Fedex. Substanties via USPS are subject to a base tariff of 120 % or a flat-rate fee of $ 100 per piece; From June 1st, this flat-rate fee will increase to $ 200.

Overall, it shows that many Americans are increasingly evaluating the effects of customs policy. A survey showed that 59 % of the public believes that Trump's policy has worsened the economic conditions in the United States. On Friday, with the expiry of the "de Minimis" exemption, many Americans could experience that the costs will continue to increase.