The End of Duty-Free Parcels: What Cross-Border Sellers Pay Now

For a decade the cheapest way to sell across borders was a parcel under the duty-free threshold. That route has now closed in the US, the EU and Türkiye.

United States: suspended for every country

Shipments worth $800 or less used to enter duty-free under Section 321. The exemption ended for Chinese goods on 2 May 2025 and for every country on 29 August 2025. A parcel now pays the normal duty stack: the regular duty, China's Section 301 rate for Chinese goods, and the 10% or 12.5% forced-labor tariff depending on origin.

Shipments up to $2,500 can still use informal entry, with lighter paperwork and a flat Merchandise Processing Fee of $2.77. Above that, a formal entry applies.

European Union: a flat €3 per item until 2028

The EU's €150 customs-duty exemption ended on 1 July 2026. Until 1 July 2028, consignments worth up to €150 pay a flat €3 customs duty per item, counted per tariff heading, after which normal duty rates apply. VAT has applied from the first euro since 2021, collected through the Import One-Stop Shop for low-value goods.

Türkiye: the €30 exemption is gone

Türkiye abolished its €30 postal and courier exemption on 6 February 2026.

What changes for sellers

• Show duty in the price or at checkout. The customer pays it either way, and a surprise bill on delivery drives refusals and returns.
• Compare single parcels with bulk shipments to a warehouse in the market. With no threshold to stay under, bulk often wins.
• Classify products carefully. The duty, and in the EU the number of €3 charges, depend on the tariff code.
• Do not split shipments to stay under limits. Deliberately splitting to avoid duty is illegal in the US and most other countries.

Zentria Flow's de minimis guide lists what each market charges now: zentriaflow.com/blog/de-minimis.