U.S. e-commerce fulfillment after De Minimis

From 29th August 2025, every shipment entering the U.S. became subject to all applicable duties and taxes and the Informal or Formal Entry process. This applies regardless of value of the shipment or the country of origin.

Prior to this, shipments valued up to U.S.$ 800 could be imported free of duties, which was known as “De Minimis”.

If your company exports to the U.S. you will be having to rapidly navigate this new situation. You are likely to be shifting strategies in order to find the optimal way to reach your U.S. customers, while making sure the correct paperwork is filed and that all exports are correctly paid for.

Leonardo Ottoni, Head of Americas for the DHL Fulfillment Network, outlines some of the ways companies can respond.

1. Shift e-commerce fulfillment to the U.S. or near-shore hubs:

• Avoid sending individual cross-border parcels, and consolidate them instead
• Avoid paying duties on each customer order, and pay them in bulk instead
• Clear customs once only
• Last-mile shipping is domestic.

2. Pricing:

• Account for tariffs and duties in your margins
• Keep your customer pricing transparent and communicate openly about any changes in costs and lead times.

3. Processes and systems:

Ensure you are using the correct Harmonized System (HS) codes and automated duty calculation tools.

4.  Plan for peak season:

Avoid risks of congestion by planning ahead.

5.  Partner with experts:

Use the support of logistics companies, customs brokers and other consultants to smooth your path.

Despite the unavoidable duties and taxes that have to be paid, there are actually benefits to shifting to a model whereby you warehouse goods in the U.S. and then fulfill orders domestically.

“I want to strike a balance here between seeming to sugar-coat the situation, and giving realistic advice,” cautions Leonardo. “The main thing I want to tell you is this: I have heard companies saying they’re going to have to exit the U.S. market because of the removal of De Minimis. They really don’t!!”

Leonardo explains the benefits of moving your e-commerce fulfillment to the U.S. “If you warehouse your stock in the U.S. and fulfill orders from there, you’ll find there are some clear advantages.”

1.  Service levels: 

You can improve your service levels: in other words, you can deliver more quickly and reliably.

2.   Last-mile costs:

You can reduce the cost and carbon footprint of your last-mile logistics, as your stock will already be based closer to your end consumers.

3.  Returns: 

Your returns will be so much easier to handle from both an administration and a logistics point of view.

“When you weigh the increased costs of duties and taxes against the savings you can make elsewhere and the improvements you can pass onto your customers, you can see that shifting to a U.S. fulfillment model makes a lot of sense,” says Leonardo.

No matter where you’re shipping to and from, the DHL Fulfillment Network offers many additional benefits.

“We give you flexibility and scalability: you can increase and decrease the inventory you hold with us to scale up and down in line with, for example, Black Friday.

“Onboarding with us is plug-and-play. We integrate with your webshop or ERP and within a matter of weeks your stock will be with us and your shipments will be on the move.

“We are part of a large network in the U.S. (and a very extensive global network) and you can tap into this straight away. Our advanced inventory insights give you visibility on your stock levels and shipments, allowing you to make informed decisions. We’re also carrier agnostic, meaning the last mile can be handled by the most appropriate local courier.”

If you ship 1,500 orders a month or more, what are you waiting for? Talk to our in-country experts today about how to find post-De Minimis upsides for your business.