The "de minimis" trade loophole that allowed cheap packages to come to the U.S. duty-free is closing. Ecommerce customers are already feeling the sting.

The Trump administration is ending the “de minimis” tax exemption, which previously allowed cheap imports—mainly from China—to avoid U.S. tariffs. The

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 2 to end the de minimis exemption — a rule that allows small packages worth less than $800 US to enter the U.S. tax free — for packages from China and Hong Kong,