No. 72 of 108
August 24, 2025
Countries and enterprises outside of the U.S. are temporarily or permanently suspending small value deliveries to customers in the U.S. Why? In the tariff rounds, the so-called de minimus rule was changed. Goods valued $800US or less per shipment are no longer exempted from tariffs. This renders goods both more expensive and more cumbersome (in process and length of time) to send to a customer, colleague, friend, family. Items valued $100US or less that are not exchanged or sold are exempt, but there will be more scrutiny and forms to be filled to determine the items are indeed in the value range and are indeed personal exchanges rather than consumer exchanges.
Making it more difficult and more expensive and less legal and more dangerous to bring or send stuff and peoples into a country does not mean a people and place will flourish. More difficult, more expensive, less legal and more dangerous are classic defensive strategies, though yes, they do feel aggressively offensive. All places walled off from each other will not survive let alone thrive. We share many challenges with each other. As challenges are common, the commons must grow, redefine, evolve. And all strategies have multiple outcomes, including the strategies we oppose and detest. As it turns out, we can do without that thingamaplasticjig prime-delivered invention to do whatchamacallit.