The end of the de minimis exemption could favor larger importers that are able to handle the additional data requirements while maintaining fast deliveries to consumers, according to Vince Iacopella, president of trade and government relations for Alba Wheels Up.
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2535 on Sept. 16, containing 21 Automated Broker Interface records and seven Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. HSU 2535 includes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Japan updates (see 2509150070).
As importers mull their options on how to prepare for potential tariff refunds should the Supreme Court rule against the legality of IEEPA tariffs, importers should also be mindful of the potential pitfalls they might encounter as they preserve their rights to refunds from CBP, according to speakers during Flexport's Sept. 17 webinar on tariffs and updates on trade.
International mail can’t benefit from exemptions from reciprocal tariffs for subheadings listed as exempt in the executive order that set the tariffs, CBP said in an update to its FAQ on e-Commerce. “Exemptions listed under ANNEX II of EO 14257 do not apply to International Mail,” the agency said. CBP didn’t immediately comment.
The Vietnamese government said it sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, asking Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "to reconsider their decision to refuse to recognize the equivalent of 12 Vietnamese seafood fishing occupations in order to avoid serious disruptions to bilateral trade and protect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers."
To facilitate the flow of information between ACE and foreign-trade zones and bonded warehouses, the foreign trade/warehouse working group with the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee is offering 18 recommendations to CBP ahead of COAC's quarterly meeting on Sept. 17.
As CBP winds down the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee in its current iteration (see 2507010077), the COAC's de minimis working group offered proposed recommendations to CBP to bolster entry processing in ACE amid the end of the de minimis exemption on Aug. 29. These recommendations include treating postal shipments similarly to how CBP handles low-value shipments via other transportation modes.
Three domestic manufacturers filed a petition Sept. 15 asking the International Trade Commission to conduct a Section 201 safeguard investigation on imports of quartz surface products.
The first window for requests for new auto parts to be covered by Section 232 tariffs will open Oct. 1, beginning a 14-day submission window, followed by a 60-day period to consider the inclusion requests, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said in an interim final rule outlining the inclusion process.
American appliance manufacturer Whirlpool claimed that its competitors may be evading tariffs on imports of appliances, and the company has raised its concerns with the Trump administration. Whirlpool said that, according to customs data, the declared value of imported home appliances "dropped precipitously" as tariffs took effect, which it said "raises concerns of potential duty evasion."