President Trump on Wednesday ended tariff exemptions for low-value parcels shipped to the United States.

The order, which takes effect on Aug. 29, will subject any shipments of imported goods into the U.S. worth $800 or less to tariffs. Any goods shipped through the international postal network will be subject to tariff rates based on the value of the package and its country of origin.

Mr. Trump’s move eliminates what’s known as a de minimis exemption.

A White House fact sheet said it’s closing what it called “a catastrophic loophole” that shippers use to “evade tariffs and funnel deadly synthetic opioids or below-market products” into the U.S.

“President Trump is putting an end to the proliferation of shippers worldwide that, among other things, deceptively exploit the de minimis privilege in an effort to evade duties, inspection, and U.S. law,” it said.

The number of low-value parcels entering the U.S. has surged over the past decade. Between 2015 and 2025, that figure jumped from 134 million shipments per year to nearly 1.4 billion. Customs and Border Patrol process more than 4 million de minimis shipments to the U.S. daily, the White House said.

The de minimis shipments often contain fentanyl and other illicit substances because the low value and sheer number of packages mean they are less likely to be inspected by customs agents, according to authorities.

In May, Mr. Trump ended the de minimis loophole for imports from China and Hong Kong, which allowed retailers like Shein and Temu to ship ultra-low-cost apparel and other goods to the U.S. at bargain-basement prices. Shipments from China and Hong Kong account for most of the de minimis shipments to the U.S., according to the White House.

China-based Temu halted shipments of its goods to American consumers and shifted to only selling products to U.S. shoppers that could be sourced from the company’s U.S. warehouses after Mr. Trump ended the loophole for China and Hong Kong.

The de minimis provision, which was added to the Tariff Act of 1930 several years after that law’s passage, was intended to facilitate trade by eliminating the administrative burden of collecting modest import duties on low-cost goods.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.