Trump Ends Tariff Exemption For Small Packages

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 30, 2025.hotograph: JIM WATSON/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump just dealt another blow to the embattled ecommerce industry, which is still reeling from sweeping tariffs Trump announced in the spring. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order widening the impact of those tariffs and making it more expensive for Americans to buy foreign products on sites like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon.

The order eliminates the so-called “de minimis” provision, a longstanding policy that allowed people in the US to import packages valued at less than $800 from ...