By the time you’re reading this, it’s already too late. While President Donald Trump’s erratic tariffs are wrecking the economy writ large, they’re now going to wreck your personal economy writ small if you happen to like buying things from overseas.
The de minimis rule, which had allowed overseas goods worth less than $800 to enter the country duty-free, ended on Friday. Now, no matter how low the value, import costs apply.
Much of the focus on Trump’s tariffs has been on the increased costs of the goods themselves, noting that the things Americans routinely buy at low costs from overseas will become much more expensive. However, there’s also the issue of increased friction and chaos for overseas sellers, shippers, and foreign postal offices.
The de minimis rule smoothed the way for th