President Donald Trump Wednesday Signed an executive order The minimum trade loophole will be closed from May 2.

trump card February ends suddenly De Minimis trade exemption, allowing goods worth less than $800 to enter the United States with tax exemption. Order At a loss U.S. Customs and Border Protection Employees and lead to the US Postal Service Stop parcels from China and Hong Kong temporarily. Within days of announcement, Trump Reverse course And delayed the cancellation of the provision.

Wednesday’s announcement In addition to a series of new tariffsproviding more preparation time for customs officials, retailers and logistics companies. Qualified goods exempted under de Minimis will be subject to a 30% obligation of their value, i.e. $25 each. The White House said the ratio will increase to $50 per piece on June 1.

In recent years, De Minimis Provision has exploded as shoppers flock to the use of Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and Shein, which offer ultra-low-cost clothing, electronics and other items. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Already said It handled more than 1.3 billion De Minimis cargo in 2024, up from 1 billion in 2023.

Critics of the rule say it offers unfair advantages for Chinese e-commerce companies and creates a large number of parcels that are “constrained by minimal documentation and inspections”, raising concerns about counterfeit and unsafe goods.

The Trump administration is trying to address the loophole over concerns that it helps fentanyl and other illegal substances, about the possibility that the parcels are unlikely to be inspected by customs agents.

Temu and Shein have taken steps to grow their operations in the United States because the De Minimis vulnerability is under greater scrutiny. After using stock seller in U.S. warehouses, Temu Recently started to turn to shoppers For those projects on their website, delivery can be accelerated. Shein opened a distribution center in 2022 in states including Illinois and California, and a supply chain center in Seattle.

watch: President Trump signs enforcement order for reciprocity tariffs