Important Update for U.S. Customers: Shoe Shipments

We have temporarily suspended shipping shoes to customers in the United States due to recent changes in U.S. import rules. This pause applies only to shoes and does not affect our other products, which remain available for delivery as they are primarily shipped from within the U.S.

Why We’ve Stopped Shipping Shoes to the U.S.

Short answer:
Because we do not want our U.S. customers faced with unexpected charges of up to $200 at delivery, we have paused shoe shipments to the United States.

Longer answer:
1. End of Duty-Free Imports – August 29th , 2025

i.) The U.S. government abolished the $800 de minimis exemption, which previously allowed most small packages to enter duty-free.
ii.) From this date, every shipment, regardless of value, is subject to customs duties.

2. Confusing New Tariff Rules

i.) Between August 29th , 2025 and February 28th , 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced two possible duty methods:
- Ad valorem tariff: a percentage of the item’s value (30–54% for Chinese goods).
- Flat-rate duty: a charge of $80–$200 per parcel, regardless of the item’s value.
The choice of method is left to the carrier, meaning a $10 item could face either a modest duty or a $200 bill.

3. Constant Changes and Confusion
The U.S. government has made multiple changes in a short time, creating significant uncertainty:

February 4, 2025 – The de minimis exemption was suspended for goods from China and Hong Kong, meaning even low-value parcels were subject to duties.
February 7, 2025 – Just three days later, the exemption was temporarily reinstated, after pushback from carriers and trade groups.
April 5, 2025 – A universal 10% “baseline” tariff was introduced on nearly all imports, followed by new multi-layered tariffs on Chinese goods, some reaching over 100%.
May 2025 – In a short-lived trade truce, tariffs on low-value Chinese parcels were reduced to around 30% (via express couriers) or a $100 flat charge (via post).
July 30, 2025 – The White House announced the full cancellation of the de minimis exemption, effective August 29, 2025.
August 15, 2025 – Less than two weeks before the change, CBP issued guidance confirming that carriers could choose between ad valorem tariffs (percentage of value) or flat-rate duties ($80–$200) during a six-month transition.

These repeated reversals, last-minute announcements, and shifting tariff levels have left carriers, postal services, and sellers struggling to adapt — with many suspending shipments altogether.

4. Carrier and Postal Service Reactions
i.) Several international postal operators suspended shipments to the U.S., describing the system as unworkable.
ii.) Express couriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL) generally apply ad valorem tariffs, while postal handoffs (such as USPS for YunExpress) may default to flat-rate charges - as yet we are not sure.