California consumers get surprise sticker shock ordering imports online
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- Trump’s elimination of a decades-old tariff exemption is hitting online shoppers with surprise bills that are sometimes thousands of dollars.
- The policy change affects over 1.3 billion packages that previously entered the U.S. duty-free, resulting in unexpected import charges for consumers.
- Buyers are facing surprise sticker shock fees on purchases of soccer jerseys, car parts and more.
Every year, Ventura County resident Carlos Soto buys a Liverpool Football Club jersey for his son to celebrate the start of the soccer season. This year it was delivered with an additional bill of $107.
“The UPS guy said he couldn’t release it unless I paid more,” said Soto, who owns the Historia Bakery Cafe in Thousand Oaks. “Until this tariff thing started, I’ve never, ever had a bill on top of my purchase.”
Soto declined the payment and requested a refund for the jersey, which he bought from the team’s official website for around $150.
Since President Trump reversed a decades-old tariff policy in August known as de minimis, online shoppers like Soto are sometimes getting hit with high, unexpected extra charges.
De minimis used to allow goods valued at less than $800 to enter the country duty-free. The tariff exception applied to more than 1.30 billion packages sent to the U.S. from overseas in 2024, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Social media is full of reports of individuals struggling with surprise bills for their deliveries. On Facebook and elsewhere, buyers are venting about hundreds of dollars due on mouse pads, makeup and bridesmaid dresses. One person on Reddit faced a $4,700 fee on a specialized desk chair from Bulgaria.
President Trump is eliminating the “de minimis” exception, which allowed goods under a certain value to enter the U.S. duty-free.
While the new fees are often already baked into product prices, some goods land in America without the tariffs being paid. That’s when the person receiving the package is expected to fork over the difference.
Package delivery companies have been scrambling to educate consumers about the new tariff regime, but still, some are surprised.
UPS, FedEx and DHL have each posted frequently asked questions and resources online to support customers who may owe tariffs on their items. Large numbers of customers are calling with complaints or confusion when presented with unexpected bills — UPS said it is working through a backlog of brokerage-related issues.
“Our brokerage services are designed to ensure shipments comply with regulations [and] pay necessary duties and taxes,” said UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer. “If the shipper or receiver have not paid these costs, UPS generates a bill so the shipment can be released by Customs and Border Protection.”
Mark Hartlage, a small package compliance manager at UPS, called the changes this year a “rollercoaster ride” in one webinar hosted for customers.
“If you import anything to the United States, you most likely have been impacted,” he said in July. “These changes can be very difficult to understand.”
While large companies and online retailers have the staff and infrastructure in place to make the transition smoothly, smaller businesses that export directly to the U.S. are sometimes failing to inform consumers about the extra costs and when they are due.
Washington, D.C., resident David Herr, who restores classic cars, recently ordered an auto part from Belgium for about $200.
President Trump on Thursday imposed once unthinkably high U.S. taxes on imports from dozens of countries, part of his campaign to turn one of the world’s most open economies into a fortress bristling with barriers to trade.
“I knew I was going to have to pay some import fee, but I had no idea what it was going to be,” Herr said. “I didn’t know if that was included in the price, or if that was going to be collected by customs or somebody else.”
When Herr’s package arrived via UPS, the delivery driver presented him with a hefty charge of $493.
“It’s kind of awkward how the fees are collected,” he said. “There’s not a lot of clarity on who’s collecting them and where they’re going.”
The popular fast fashion website Shein, which is based in Singapore, advertises a guarantee that the price at checkout is the final price for the product.
“There’s lots of chatter about tariffs, but here’s why you don’t need to worry about paying anything extra after checkout,” the Shein website says.
Temu, another low-cost online retailer that previously relied on de minimis, states on its website that for its customers, there are “no import charges for all local warehouse items and no extra charges upon delivery.”
A decision by President Trump to close a tariff loophole could change the landscape of online shopping, particularly for the Chinese e-commerce companies behind wildly successful sites, such as Shein and Temu.
Meg Moore, an avid online shopper from the Chicago area, said she plans to change her shopping habits.
She had her eye on the annual beauty product advent calendar from the London-based brand Liberty, which retails for $365, but decided against it due to the tariffs.
“They’ll add at least $100 just to send it here,” she said.
De minimis, which is Latin for something of little importance, dates to 1938 when Congress passed the exception to boost trade and save the time of inspecting and calculating taxes on every package.
Lawmakers increased the duty-free threshold from $1 to $5 in 1990 and again to $200 in 1993. Under the most recent threshold of $800, the number of packages entering the U.S. duty-free had skyrocketed.
President Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on ‘any and all movies that are made outside of the United States,’ echoing an idea he floated earlier this year.
Trump has called the rule a “scam” that weakens American businesses and allows dangerous goods to enter the country without oversight. Packages that claim the exemption are not inspected as thoroughly by U.S. Customs personnel.
Trump ended the so-called loophole for goods sent from China in May before eliminating the practice for goods from all other nations in August. Documents and gifts under $100 are still exempt from import taxes.
Soto in Thousand Oaks decided to search for a Liverpool jersey in California. But he’s still waiting for the refund on the jersey he sent back.
“When it comes to politics and government, I’ve always kind of turned away from it,” he said. “But this time it actually hurt my pocket.”
