End of U.S. De Minimis (from Aug 29, 2025) — What Ship&co Users Need to Know

Updated: December 23rd, 2025
Status: Ongoing guidance — we keep updating this page as shipping carriers release more details.

This article is for international sellers using Ship&co to ship to the United States. Please read it carefully before contacting us. Answers to your question(s) are probably listed below!

What is changing?

• From August 29th, 2025, the U.S. suspended the de minimis duty-free threshold (USD 800).
  This means all imports to the USA will now incur duties and taxes, regardless of value.
  
  - If you ship DDU with FedEx / DHL / UPS / Yamato International → the consignee in the U.S. will pay the duties. Similar to what customers in other countries experienced already for years.
  - If you ship DDP → you (the shipper) will pay duties, and the courier will later invoice you (with additional handling/clearance fees).
   
• You can still ship to the U.S. using FedEx, DHL, Yamato International or UPS. These couriers support both DDP and DDU for most services. 
   
• JapanPost suspended acceptance of mail to the U.S. for most services from August 27th, 2025.
  Currently, JapanPost does not offer DDP services. Some shipments shipped before August 27th, may not have been arrived in the USA before the 29th of August and will probably be returned.
   

• Restrictions for FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP): 

  Starting September 15, 2025, shipments to the United States using FICP require a valid FedEx account number for the payer of duties and taxes. Please note that Ship&co does not support specifying a recipient’s or third party’s FedEx account as the duty payer, and we have no plans to support this in the future. Therefore, when issuing a shipping label for the U.S. using FICP via Ship&co, you must select the DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) option.
  In rare cases, FedEx may grant exceptions to large-scale shippers, but for most users, DDP will be mandatory when using FICP.
  If you would like to continue shipping DDU with FedEx after September 15th, please consider using FedEx International Economy (IE) or FedEx International Priority (IP) instead.
   

DDP with FedEx / DHL / UPS / Yamato — how it works

For detailed information about DDU and DDP options, please see: DDU and DDP Shipping Options in Ship&co

• When you select DDP, the shipper prepays duties/taxes. The carrier advances these charges to customs and bills the shipper later with its handling/clearance fees.

• Important: In Ship&co, selecting the DDP option enables the DDP billing behavior with the carrier; however, Ship&co does not show duties/taxes/handling fees in the shipping fee screen. The carrier invoices them separately after shipment.

   

How to identify DDP vs DDU on shipping labels

• FedEx DDP: Shows your FedEx account number next to "D/T:" (D/T = duties/taxes)
• DHL DDP: Shows "DTP" (Duties Taxes Paid) on the label
• UPS DDP: Shows "BILLING: F/D" where F/D stands for "Free Domicile"
• Yamato International DDP: Shows "Duty & Tax Payment All Prepaid" on the shipping labels (the invoice doesn't change)

Will Ship&co show the full DDP cost (duties + taxes + fees)?

• No. Ship&co displays the contracted/estimated shipping fees only.
• Duties/taxes and carrier DDP fees are billed by the carrier after shipment and are not included in the rate quotes that you see on Ship&co.
   

Should I use DDP or DDU after Aug 29th?

• DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): The U.S. buyer pays duties/taxes/fees upon delivery. Simpler for the shipper, but can cause complaints from the buyer. Make sure to update your shipping policy.
• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): The shipper prepays duties/taxes. Better delivery experience but requires understanding of all incremental costs (duty, taxes, carrier fees). We do not recommend this to most sellers.
• Our current recommendation: Continue using DDU until the situation stabilizes. Technical solutions for easier duty payments (similar to IOSS for Europe) are being developed by major platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Shopify.
   

Japan Post's status for shipments to the U.S.

• Japan Post has announced a temporary suspension of mail acceptance to the United States starting August 27th, 2025, due to new US customs regulations.
• This suspension affects small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods) containing goods intended for sale for consumption, as well as personal gifts valued over $100 USD.
  Letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS documents, and personal gifts under $100 USD will continue to be accepted. Read their announcement here.
   

HS code and HTS code are supported on Ship&co

• HS code (6 digits) = standard international tariff classification. Supported by Shopify and recommended for use.
• HTS code (10 digits) = U.S.-specific classification, more precise but not required for shipping label creation.
• Mandatory for shipping? Not mandatory to create shipping labels with Ship&co at the moment. However, without HS/HTS + Country of Origin:
  • Customs duties cannot be calculated correctly.
  • Shipments may be delayed or returned by U.S. Customs.
• Best practice: Always register HS code (6 digits) or HTS code (10 digits) + Country of Origin in Ship&co settings page (for Etsy, eBay, Amazon), or on each product page for Shopify. If you sell internationally on Shopify, make sure to use our feature - Shopify introduced support for HTS codes and other country-specific HS codes this year, and Ship&co can automatically retrieve this data for shipping label creation based on the destination country.
• Ship&co supports both 6-digit HS codes and 10-digit HTS codes in the product settings.
• HS codes are usually not shown on the label, but they are transferred electronically to the carrier when you create a shipment.
   

Good practices for online sellers shipping to the U.S.

• Maintain accurate HS / HTS code, Country of Origin, and clear product descriptions in your store and on Ship&co settings page. Ship&co will use this data when processing shipping labels for each carrier.
• Reminder for Shopify sellers: HS code and Country of Origin sync automatically from Shopify into Ship&co.
• Communicate clearly at the checkout page whether duties/taxes are included (DDP) or paid by the buyer upon delivery (DDU).
• Budget a buffer for duties/taxes and carrier fees during this transition period.
   

For eBay Sellers: DDP requirement from October 17, 2025

eBay Japan has announced that for U.S.-bound transactions under USD 2,500 shipped on or after October 17, 2025, DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) will be mandatory across all carriers.

This means sellers must price U.S. listings to include duties and taxes. In practice, you will cover the duty (for many Japan-made items this is roughly ~15%) plus each carrier’s DDP handling / clearance fees (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.).

Fees vary by contract, but are commonly JPY 2,500–3,300 per shipment or a percentage of the duty amount. For exact pricing, please confirm with your carrier account manager.

Note: if you declare the total buyer payment (item price + duties included) as the item price on the invoice, you risk over-assessment of duties.

How to show this on the invoice (when using Ship&co)
Ship&co’s commercial invoice lets you separate the Item/Unit Price from Shipping. Under current U.S. practice (FOB valuation is common), when shipping and insurance are listed separately on the invoice, duties are typically calculated on the item price and the shipping amount is not included in the duty base. 

Therefore, it is most practical to keep the item price as the true product value and include the DDP components (estimated duties/taxes and carrier fees) in the Shipping line.

At this time, eBay and the carriers are still preparing official guidance, so definitive instructions are limited. However, none of the carriers will recommend under-declaring—accurate valuation is required. 

Ship&co will continue to update this page to help sellers understand and adapt to these important changes.

Common requests & limitations

• "Can I set DDP as the default for all U.S. shipments in Ship&co?"
  No — not at the moment. Please select DDP per shipment as needed.
• "Can Ship&co support third-party FedEx/UPS account numbers for duty payments?"
  No — not at the moment. This feature is primarily designed for B2B transactions and most B2C customers do not have carrier accounts.
• "Where can I confirm my exact DDP fees?"
  DDP fees are contract-dependent. Please contact your carrier account manager (FedEx/DHL/UPS) for precise charges and any waivers.
   

We'll keep this page updated as carriers and Japan Post publish new guidance. If you have urgent operational questions, please contact your carrier account manager and our Ship&co support team at hello@shipandco.com.