The end of US de minimis: what online sellers and shoppers need to know
Low-value parcels into the US no longer enter duty-free. Here is what changed, how it affects Canadian and US e-commerce sellers, and how to adjust pricing and shipping.
Published 6 October 2026 · By Naveed Murtaza
Source: Semrush monthly search-volume estimates, US and Canada databases, checked 6 October 2026. Estimates, not measured searches.
Customer orders
A US shopper buys a low-value item from a foreign seller.
Seller ships
The carrier needs product, value and origin details.
Duty is assessed
Duty-free entry under $800 no longer applies.
Someone pays
Duties are prepaid by the seller or collected from the buyer.
Delivery
Clear checkout pricing prevents refused parcels and refunds.
🇺🇸 Planning campaigns here? See digital marketing services for this market.
What was de minimis?
De minimis allowed shipments valued at $800 or less to enter the US without duties and with simpler processing. It powered much cross-border e-commerce.
A July 2025 executive order suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries, effective 29 August 2025, with CBP issuing guidance on how it applies.
Why are people searching for it?
Semrush estimates about 40,500 US monthly searches for “de minimis”. Shoppers want to know why parcels cost more; sellers want to know how to comply.
Its ranking difficulty is high, so specific angles, such as Canadian sellers shipping to the US, are more realistic to rank for than the bare term.
How are Canadian sellers affected?
Canadian businesses selling to US customers may now face duties and extra paperwork on parcels that used to cross freely. Rules on postal versus courier shipments have differed, so check CBP guidance and your carrier.
Products that qualify under CUSMA may be treated differently, which makes accurate origin information more important.
How should sellers adjust?
Calculate landed cost per product. Decide whether to show duties at checkout (often called delivered duty paid) so customers are not surprised on delivery.
Review carriers: some offer duty prepayment and brokerage that make the process smoother. Update shipping pages and FAQs.
What does this mean for marketing?
Free-shipping promises and low price points may need rethinking. Ads that promise a price must match the final cost a customer pays.
Consider local US fulfilment for best sellers if volumes justify it, and test whether “duties included” messaging improves conversion.
How fast will this topic grow?
Nobody can reliably promise that a topic will reach millions of searches in a set number of weeks. Search demand moves with news, product launches and policy announcements. The figures in this article are Semrush estimates for the US and Canada, so treat them as a guide to relative interest, not exact numbers.
A sensible approach is to publish a clear, sourced answer early, update it whenever the official source changes, and check real Search Console data before writing more on the same theme.