Small Package Trade Loophole Expires on May 2

The tax on goods from China will hit 125%, while all other “reciprocal” tariffs are paused at 10%.

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Updated · 15 min read
Profile photo of Anna Helhoski
Written by Anna Helhoski
Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Profile photo of Rick VanderKnyff
Edited by Rick VanderKnyff
Head of Content, News

Updated April 22

The “de minimis” exemption, a trade loophole that’s currently excluding Chinese businesses from paying tariffs on low-value packages imported to the U.S., will end on May 2.

All packages from Hong Kong and China worth $800 or less that would otherwise qualify for the exemption will be subject to a tax of 30% of their value or $25 per item. Beginning June 1, the duty rate increases to $50 per item.

Congress enacted the de minimis exemption in 1938 to ease foreign trade inefficiencies. It was later expanded in the 1990s to ease cost burdens for businesses and consumers.

Shein and Temu, two popular low cost e-commerce retailers based in China, have already said they’ll raise prices as of April 25 in response to tariffs.

The Trump Administration is likely to launch more targeted tariffs in the coming weeks and months, while leaving the door open to delaying others. Here are some of the possibilities, according to recent reports:

  • On April 15, Trump announced  a new 21% tariff on tomatoes from Mexico will begin on July 14. He also said he may make exemptions on auto part tariffs, which are set to begin before May 3. 

  • On April 14, notices were posted in the Federal Register indicating national security probes were underway into imports of computer chips and pharmaceuticals.

  • On April 13, during an interview with ABC, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said tariffs on smartphones, computers and other electronics would be coming soon. On April 11, the Trump Administration exempted those products from the new tariffs on China.

On April 11, China raised tariffs on U.S. imports to 125%, in response to Trump’s recent retaliatory tariffs.

On April 9, Trump abruptly announced via Truth Social that he would be hiking the tariff on China to 125% effective immediately; it was confirmed on Thursday that the total tariff on China is 145% including the previous 20% levy. Trump also paused all other wide-reaching “reciprocal” tariffs for 90-days.

The president said on Truth Social, “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.”

China’s Ministry of Finance, in a statement announcing the tariffs on the U.S., indicated that it would not respond further if Trump escalates the trade war. “Given the current level of tariffs, U.S. goods exported to China are no longer market-viable,” the statement said.

Trump’s proclamation is just the latest twist in the tariff saga that has spurred volatility in the markets and heightened uncertainty among consumers for months. The reciprocal tariffs that Trump announced last week had gone into effect after midnight on April 9, but are now paused at 10% for the 90-day period.

» MORE:

Prior to Trump’s latest move, Canada, China and the European Union responded on April 9 with retaliatory tariffs that would take effect on varying timelines. However, on April 10 the EU said it was pausing its retaliatory tariffs for 90 days.

Canada imposed 25% tariffs starting on April 9 on auto imports from the U.S. that don’t comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement put in place in 2019.

China increased tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% on April 10 to 125% on April 11. In addition to tariffs, China took other steps to make it harder for U.S. companies to do business in the country. It set export controls on a dozen companies and added six others to an “unreliable entity list.”

The EU announced on April 10 that it would pause its retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. for 90 days to allow for negotiations. The previous day, the EU had approved a response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. The response did not address Trump’s 20% “reciprocal” tariffs on the EU, which have now been paused at 10% for 90 days. The EU approved a plan that would apply three rounds of tariffs to a range of U.S. goods valued at $23 billion. With the pause now in place, it’s unclear what the timing of those rounds would be.

Global financial markets have plummeted in the face of the spreading trade war sparked by Trump’s trade moves. On April 8, U.S. stock indexes mounted a brief rally before slumping and ending the trading day in negative territory once again.

On April 9, in Trump’s Truth Social Post, he said that more than 75 countries had reached out to the United States to negotiate.

A growing number of U.S. business leaders and even congressional Republicans have publicly criticized Trump’s tariffs, and economists have raised concerns that his policies are dramatically raising the possibility of a recession.

"I don't want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something," Trump told reporters on April 6, after two days of a dramatic sell-off on Wall Street.

The tariffs on China were set at 54% in Trump’s announcement last week, but after China said it would retaliate with additional duties on U.S. goods, Trump threatened to add another 50% to the tariff on Chinese goods. The White House confirmed the additional tax on Tuesday, which brought the total tariff on China to 104% on April 9 until Trump added another 21% tax. Then on April 10, the White House confirmed that the total tariff on Chinese imports has hit 145%.

On April 9, following the day’s opening of the U.S. Markets, Trump posted on Truth Social, “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well.”

The effective tariff rate is now the highest in 100 years

The Budget Lab at Yale University calculates that the average effective U.S. tariff rate is at its highest level since 1903.

The average effective tariff rate measures the average tax rate on imported goods, weighted by the amount of goods actually imported. It shows what consumers and businesses will pay due to tariffs.

The Budget Lab analysis, published on April 10, examined the immediate impact of tariffs before any consumer or business adjustments, and found that the new tariffs would raise the average effective tariff rate by 24.6 percentage points to 27%.

The 2025 tariffs, as they stand on April 10, are likely to increase consumer prices by 2.9%, according to The Budget Lab at Yale University. That calculation assumes that the Federal Reserve takes no action on interest rates.

The analysis found that typical per household purchasing power will be reduced by $4,700 for the year. And because tariffs are regressive, the costs will most burden households with the least disposable income.

Motor vehicles, which are specifically targeted by a separate tariff, will see a 12% increase in the short-run, but the increase will rise over time to 19%. In the long-run, auto tariffs will increase the cost of an average new car (in 2024) by $9,000.

The most common goods and services likely to increase in price in the short run include:

  • Leather: +85.9%

  • Wearing apparel (clothing): +64%

  • Electrical equipment: +45.8%

  • Textiles: +44.3%

  • Mineral products: +26.6% 

  • Metals: +24.4%

  • Metal products: +22.6%.

  • Rubber and plastic products: +22.1%

  • Manufacturers: +17.8%

  • Machinery and equipment: +17.8%

  • Crops: +15.4%

  • Motor vehicles and parts: +12.1%

  • Basic pharmaceutical products: +12%

  • Computer, electronic and optical: +11.3%

  • Ferrous metals: +10.8%

  • Wood products: +10.6%

  • Transport equipment: +10.6%

  • Natural gas: +9.3%

  • Paper products, publishing: +5.5%

  • Vegetables, fruit, nuts: +5.4%

  • Chemical products: +5.3%

  • Food products +4.3%

  • Fishing: +3.5%

  • OIl: 3%

  • Vegetables oils and fats: +2.6%

  • Paddy rice: +2.3%

  • Processed rice: +1.9%

  • Animal products: +1.7%

  • Beverages and tobacco products: +1.4%

  • Cereal grains: +1.1%

Trump announces 10% baseline tariff, higher for some countries

On April 2, Trump announced new “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from all trading partners. The baseline across-the-board tariff is 10%, but certain trading partners will see higher rates. The 10% across-the-board tariff on all imports will go into effect after midnight on April 5. Additional targeted tariffs on specific trade partners will go into effect after midnight on April 9.

In a speech from the White House Rose Garden on April 9, Trump said the tariffs would be reciprocal on all countries. “Reciprocal, that means they do it to us, and we do it to them,” he said. “Very simple. Can’t get any simpler than that.”

It’s unclear how the additional tariff amounts were calculated, but Trump says they are based on the existing tariffs on U.S. imports. Retaliatory tariffs are expected from major trading partners.

The reciprocal tariffs will be added to existing tariffs on trading partners so China, for example, will face a 54% tariff as of April 9. But the tariffs won’t be applied to existing taxes on targeted goods and services such as energy, steel, aluminum and automobiles.

China announced on Friday that it would match President Donald Trump’s latest escalation in tariffs and impose an additional 34% levy on U.S. goods. In a statement announcing the hike, Chinese officials blasted U.S. trade actions as “unilateral bullying.” No additional tariffs on Mexico and Canada were announced; as of April 9 all products imported from Mexico and Canada face a 25% tax with an exemption for goods included in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

In his speech, Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will bring about a “golden age” for manufacturing in the U.S. He also claimed that the policies would create “trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt.”

Trump’s 25% tariff on all automobile imports went into effect after midnight on April 3. Before May 3, another 25% tariff will begin on imported auto parts. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that new car prices could increase by 13.5% on average for Americans, or about $6,400.

On Sunday, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” that he “couldn’t care less if they raise prices, because people are going to start buying American-made cars.”

A Yale Budget Lab analysis of the U.S. tariffs enacted in 2025 through April 2 says that the effective U.S. tariff rate is now 22.5%, which is the highest rate since 1909, according to the report. The effective tariff rate is the average tax on imports. In other words, for every $100 of goods, $22.50 will be collected in tariffs. Businesses that must pay import fees typically pass those costs onto the purchaser, be it another business or a consumer.

Some of the goods most likely to see price increases include:

  • Clothing and textiles: +17%

  • All food: +2.8%

  • Motor vehicles: +8.4%

What tariffs are now in effect?

April 9: 145% total reciprocal tariff for China with exemptions. See the section on exemptions for more details.

April 9: 10% across-the-board reciprocal tariffs on all foreign imports. Additional tariffs on individual countries are delayed until July 9.

March 12: 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

March 4: 25% tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico; certain goods that are included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are exempt.

March 3: 10% additional tariff on China.

Feb. 4: 10% tariff on China.

Upcoming tariffs:

Before May 3: 25% tariff on auto parts imports.

July 9: Pause lifts for the additional tariffs on foreign countries first announced on April 2.

July 14: 21% tariff on tomatoes from Mexico.

Trump’s tariff exemptions

The Trump Administration is exempting certain products from its reciprocal tariff policies. Some of the products are already subject to a tariff or may be taxed in the future. Here’s how that breaks down:

Products with their own separate tariffs:

  • Steel and aluminum face their own 25% tariffs.

  • Automobiles, which face their own 25% tariffs.

Products that the White House is reportedly planning to target for future tariffs

  • Auto parts, which are expected to be taxed at 25% sometime before May 3. 

  • Copper. 

  • Pharmaceuticals.

  • Semiconductors. 

  • Lumber.

Products entirely excluded from tariffs:

  • Any items and services included under the USMCA trade agreement.

  • Energy, including oil. 

  • Other certain minerals not available in the U.S. The White House did not specify what this means. 

  • Bullion, including gold.

  • Smartphones, computers, flat panel TVs, semiconductors, LED devices and other electronics.

The full list of exempted products is available here.

Previous tariff news

On March 26, President Donald Trump announced he would add a 25% tariff on finished cars that are imported into the United States, to go into effect on April 3. An additional 25% tariff on auto parts would go into effect “no later than May 3,” according to Trump’s executive order.

The tariffs will include American brands that are assembled in other countries. According to the New York Times, almost half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. are imported. Top suppliers of imported cars are, in descending order, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Germany.

Trump previously added 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, but suspended parts of those tariffs, including autos. That suspension is set to expire in April.

Earlier in the week, Trump announced plans to add a 25% tariff on all countries that import oil from Venezuela. It’s worth noting that the U.S. is a top buyer of oil from Venezuela.

On March 12, Trump’s new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports went into effect, which prompted swift retaliation from the European Union and Canada.

The top importers of steel to the U.S. include Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Germany, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Algeria, according to the International Trade Administration.

The European Commission is responding with measures of its own. It says that since the U.S. tariffs on imports from the EU are worth $28 billion, the U.S. will face tariffs worth the same amount for its exports to member countries.

The European Union retaliated quickly with what it called a two-step approach:

  • The suspension of existing 2018 and 2020 countermeasures against the U.S. will end on April 1. 

  • There will be a package of new tariffs on U.S. exports that will begin mid-April. 

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, “We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs. We are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue.”

On March 12, Canada also responded with 25% retaliatory tariffs on C$29.8 billion ($20 billion) worth of imported U.S. goods. The tariffs will include steel and aluminum, as well as products like computers, sports equipment and cast iron products, according to Canada’s Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc. The new import tariffs began on March 13.

On March 13, Trump posted on Truth Social that he may levy a 200% tariff on alcohol coming from the EU. He said it was in response to the EU’s new 50% tariff on whiskey for U.S. imports. “ This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.,” Trump wrote.

The response from the EU and Canada arrives on the heels of a preemptive retaliation by the Canadian province of Ontario, which announced it would add a 25% surcharge on electricity imports to the U.S. Then, on March 11, Trump announced he would double the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada to 50%. However, Ontario announced it would suspend the surcharge following a phone call with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. Trump then called off the added tariff.

During Trump’s first presidency, he imposed a 25% tariff on aluminum and a 10% tariff on steel from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The tariffs continued under Biden. Trump’s new policy increases the steel tariff from 10% to 25% and reinstates the 25% tariff on aluminum. Trump also said that no countries are excluded from these tariffs.

An analysis of those previous tariffs by the Tax Foundation found foreign exporters largely passed the cost of the tariffs to U.S. companies. The industries that were most impacted by the aluminum and steel tariffs included transportation, construction and packaging industries, according to the analysis.

On March 6, Trump paused new tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports included in the 2020 free trade deal, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The pause will be in effect until April 2.

The 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico went into effect on March 4. An additional 10% tariff has also been levied on Chinese goods, bringing the total added tariff to 20% — those remain in effect.

A White House official told CNBC that some 50% of Mexican imports and 38% of Canadian imports are covered by the trade agreement.

Beyond the delay of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the only exemption is a one-month reprieve for automakers on related import purchases.

Trump has long said the tariffs are punitive, meant to curb drug trafficking into the United States. He has also claimed they’re meant to entice companies to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. Following the official start to the tariffs, Trump posted on Truth Social, “If companies move to the United States, there are no tariffs!!!”

Trade partners retaliate

China retaliated with tariffs on agricultural imports from the U.S. That includes 15% tariffs on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton imports. There will also be 10% tariffs on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Those tariffs went into effect on Monday.

Canada has announced retaliatory 25% tariffs on C$155 billion ($107 billion) of U.S. products. Tariffs on C$30 billion of U.S. goods began on Tuesday and the remaining tariffs on an additional C$125 billion are expected to begin 21 days later. Trudeau has said that, for now, Canada will not be removing its tariffs on the U.S.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum originally said that Mexico will announce its own retaliatory tariffs on March 9, but any announcement will likely be delayed until Trump’s pause ends.

How did we get here?

Mexico, Canada and China are the three top trading partners for the U.S. Both Mexico and Canada are more dependent on the U.S. than vice versa, which means the economic impact could be greater to those two countries than to the U.S. China, meanwhile, has the largest share of trading in the world.

On Jan. 31, Trump first announced new tariffs including a 10% tariff on China and a 25% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. from Mexico and Canada with one exception: Oil from Canada would face a 10% tariff. On Feb. 3, leaders from Canada and Mexico negotiated a one-month delay of the tariffs by promising to beef up border patrol efforts.

But on Feb. 4 the initial 10% tariff on China still went into effect. China responded with retaliatory tariffs ranging from 10% to 15% on a specific set of energy products, cars and agricultural machinery. These tariffs went into effect on Feb. 10.

Then on Feb. 7, Trump suspended tariffs on small packages from China. Prior to the announcement, the United States Postal Service USPS, in order to comply with the sweeping 10% tariff, briefly stopped accepting any packages from China. All packages from China under $800 will be imported tariff-free to the U.S.

On Feb. 1, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs. But following a call with Trump days later, Canadian President Justin Trudeau said Canada’s tariff on the U.S. would also be pushed back by one month.

What happens next?

Retaliatory tariffs would increase prices on goods imported from the U.S. and could potentially lead to a trade war.

Estimates by Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) show 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada would slow growth and accelerate inflation. U.S. consumers would see prices rise on goods coming from those countries. Consumers would also see higher prices for goods manufactured in the U.S. that require supplies from those countries.

The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) which supplies global trade data, says the chief products that Mexico exports to the U.S. are computers, cars, as well as motor vehicles, parts and accessories. The U.S. exports mainly refined petroleum, motor vehicle parts and accessories, as well as petroleum gas to Mexico.

Canada primarily exports crude petroleum, cars and petroleum gas to the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. mainly exports cars, refined petroleum and delivery trucks to Canada.

China exports a wide variety of products and supplies to the U.S. including telephones, computers, electric batteries, light fixtures and motor vehicle parts, and accessories. The U.S. mainly exports soybeans, cars, petroleum gas, integrated circuits and crude petroleum to China.

More tariffs are on the way

On March 4, Trump signaled that he was cooking up a new agriculture tariff. He posted on Truth Social, “To the Great Farmers of the United States: Get ready to start making a lot of agricultural product to be sold INSIDE of the United States. Tariffs will go on external product on April 2nd. Have fun!” Trump did not indicate what agricultural products could be impacted

On Jan. 27, Trump said he plans to enact tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper, pharmaceuticals, computer chips and semiconductors, in the hopes of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

Trump said tariffs on computer chips and semiconductors from Taiwan could be anywhere from 25% to 50% or even up to 100%. Tariffs on chips and semiconductors could lead to higher prices for computer products including smartphones.

In response, the Taiwanese government said the current business model with the U.S. is a win-win, while the Taiwan economy ministry called the two nations’ semiconductor businesses “highly complementary to each other.”

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) — the largest producer of semiconductors in the world — is investing $65 billion in Arizona for new chip manufacturing plants, as part of the Biden administrations’ CHIPS and Science Act. The Act also gave funding to U.S. companies for the creation and expansion of chip manufacturing plants.

Trump has promised a slew of tariffs for key trading partners like Mexico, Canada and China. But so far no new tariffs have been announced.

In a trade memo released on his first day in office, President Donald Trump directed his cabinet to investigate trade agreements, as well as the feasibility of establishing an External Revenue Service whose primary purpose would be to collect trade-related revenue.

(Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images for Getty News Images)