Shipment to the US might take a while.

Two important takes from the article:

The UK will start charging a 10% duty on all items sent to the US with a value over $100

and

for all travelers to the US from Europe, the $800 exemption will be history. All goods purchased in Europe will have to pay a 15% tariff. (Some exemptions apply.)

Of course, this could change just like everything else regarding tariffs have changed since the start of the new administration.

And they are claiming that no one knows what the particular tariffs are, how they are to be collected, etc

[snip]
“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe, said in a statement.

[snip]
Many European postal services say they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will enter the U.S. before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications.

[snip]
In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them. He said that PostNL is working closely with its U.S. counterparts to find a solution.

This new system is like a Swiss watch! Except for chaos, disorder and lack of teleology. And of course it doesn't tell time nearly as well.

Other than that it's pretty darn good metaphor.

Four things can happen when a tariff hits:
1) Foreign firms cut prices
2) Retail margins get squeezed
3) Retailers pass it on to you
4) Some imports just stop

Happy travels.

1) Foreign firms cut prices
2) Retail margins get squeezed
3) Retailers pass it on to you
4) Some imports just stop

Options 1 and 2 are just false promises.
Options 3 and 4 are reality.

Yes.

In the end, it’s a tax— a poorly crafted one. Prices rise. Inefficiencies occur.

I started quoting an economist and stopped because it went beyond the scope of travel.

The travel point is that if you buy stuff overseas and try to ship it home be prepared for the decay of order and certainty and expect problems.

Happy travels!

for all travelers to the US from Europe, the $800 exemption will be history. All goods purchased in Europe will have to pay a 15% tariff. (Some exemptions apply.)

FrankII, that may not be true. Apparently there is a $200 exemption that remains in place for travelers (and presumably ordinary tourists). One sources says "American travelers are still allowed to bring up to $200 worth of personal items duty-free, and bona fide gifts valued at $100 or less are also exempt."

Where i get hit is the 10 pairs of reading glasses for $18.95 that i have bought for years, and comes by some suspicious Chinese courier service may end up costing me $22.

10 pairs of reading glasses? From suspicious Chinese couriers? Who needs 10 pairs of glasses?

Reminds of the movie My Blue Heaven where Steve Martin plays a guy who had dozens of copies of a book that may have been stolen and asked why he needed dozens of copies he replied “in case I need to read it more than once.”

Is there an underground reading glasses and Hungarian travel advice ring going around with a secret three phase plan?

Phase I: Get lots of reading glasses.

Phase II: ???

Phase III: Profit

Happy travels.

Does anything change with goods under $800 total that we personally carry back from the EU? I have been tossing my little receipts away on my current trip…

Even if you are allowed $200 for personal use, and $100 for gifts, the amount of people needing to pay tariffs will be enormous. The lines will be crazy.

How do you prove something you bought is for your personal use and not a gift?

I believe, like everything else regarding tariffs, it will change in a few days.

Reminds of a great Monty Python sketch-- which starts like this:

Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our four...no... Amongst our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

This new system is like a Swiss watch!

More like an East German automobile. What a cluster.

"What a cluster"

Then it's a success?

I believe, like everything else regarding tariffs, it will change in a few days.

Especially when the lines for Customs quadruples or more with people showing their Swiss chocolate, Italian olive oil, wines, etc, waving their credit card ready to pay the duty. Not to mention those daredevils who choose to say, "Nothing to Declare" and wind up in a bigger mess when their bag is searched and products are found.

Especially when the lines for Customs quadruples or more

I believe, from the information I was reading, that the exemption for shipped goods is ending, not the exemption for goods transported with you. The executive order repeatedly refers to items being shipped through the international postal network.

But then right now all this is as clear as mud, lots of deferrals and exemptions, which is shorthand for "This is what we are going to do, we just do not yet know how to do it"

Paul, its a poorly written click bait article designed to inflame and drive more to click it. It worked.

I believe the intent of the legislation was to stop retail shipments that were avoiding tariffs.

I used to buy reading glasses that way and i have friend in China that sells dang good tea in the US that way. So while 1 company could not export $80000 worth of widgets to the US with out paying the tarrifs; it has been possible to sell those widgets in China, online, and individually ship them to the US. Thats over.

Another source reports that travelers, and presumably tourists, can bring in $200 + $100 in gifts. So, let's say $300. Thats above my threshold so im good with it.

legislation?

There is no legislation! This is pirate rules ala Pirates of Caribbean!!!

According to the constitution, only the congress can levy tariffs. Indeed a court has already ruled these pirate rules are unlawful. Then another court said, yeah, that be all well and good but he said it was an emergency to charge folks who buy 10 pairs of glasses from suspicious Chinese couriers to fund their underground travel consulting and reading glass smuggling operation and if it's an emergency, well, we will give it pass until some other court on some distant date re-reads what the constitution plainly says which is this: This is totally bogus man!

I demand MR E be allowed to smuggle Chinese reading glasses to empower his empire of Hungarian travel consulting!!!

I have your back Mr E!!

(I suppose this post is not part of the 2% profound posts of mine but rather part of the 96% drivel or the other 2% of undefined....)

Happy travels.

No, David, pretty typical from you. I also smuggle Iranian Pistachios. I have friends that shop them. My gwad they are good. But I need the glasses when sorting the shells from the whole buts in the bowl.

And acvording to one article, tgis was legislated but the start date was accelerated. I presume the ability to do that was in the legislation. .

Pistachios? Those are my favorites nuts!

Happy travels Mr E!

And no one does them better than Persians.

Luckily, the store in Salzburg, Salzburg Salz, that I order from a couple of times a year emailed me last week to let me know the shipping ban was coming. So, I was able to get in one last order.

Does anything change with goods under $800 total that we personally carry back from the EU?

I tried searching and got no clear answer. Anyone a better 'hunter'?

I have been tossing my little receipts away on my current trip…

That may come back to haunt you

I found a link that said the new number was $200 + $100 gift. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c939q47xlleo

With a bit more rummaging around I came upon this-

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go/know-you-go-traveling-abroad

Shows it was last 'modified' Aug 6, 2025

Enjoy reading.

If you go to the website JoeF listed above, and scroll down to the section "What to Expect When You Return" you will see that they are going back to customs declaration forms--both paper and electronic--and the exemption amount depends on the country you've been visiting. But they don't say what it is for each country.

Make sure you have the receipts for what you have purchased.

According to Yardeni Research Aug 24 QuickTakes “… Trump’s tariffs might be invalidated in court in the coming weeks, with unpredictable market impact”-- said CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla..

Advanced planning is needed now more than ever.

So just like the Man In Black in Princess Bride, I spent the last few years building up an immunity to Iocane powder.

Also, like Frank II said, receipts seem like a good idea too.

Happy travels!

P.S. If Norway does the smart thing gives a certain you-know-who a special you-know-what prize, then those rates for Norway could be way low.

The form Joe32f linked to includes the CBP form FrankII referenced which states, in part

Duty—CBP officers will determine duty. U.S. residents are normally
entitled to a duty-free exemption of $800 on items accompanying
them. Visitors (non-residents) are normally entitled to an exemption
of $100. Duty will be assessed at the current rate on the first $1,000
above the exemption.

This does not address the $200, $800, $1000 differentiation and, of course, it could change while you’re traveling. Messy.

David, don’t get your hopes up re Norway. As my Norwegian father often said, Norwegians don’t like to be ‘told’ what to do. And they have enough money that they likely aren’t too concerned about a lower ‘rate’:)

I used to travel with a little 3x6 fabric “coin purse” that I kept receipts and a running list in. I haven’t had to do that for ~10 years! I will be caught with no receipts this year when we return in early September from our month long trip. I have the most pathetic little stash of mustards, spoons, kitchen gadgets and one plate. I hope they enjoy looking it over and thinking about how time consuming this dribble is.

Edit: and we move on to Budapest this week where I was going to stock up on some different paprikas, some gifts and some for personal use—another rule/limit?

Not to worry. The linked document says you can find out the duty-free limit for each country of purchase by calling the CBP officer at the US embassy there. Won't that be fun for them! And for your telephone bill, of course.

I've been traveling since May 1 and have thrown away virtually all receipts for items purchased so far. I think the total is under $200 except for a few medical purchases (now partially used). I've primarily purchased 4 blouses and 2 purses to be used on future trips. I don't expect a problem, but this could be painful for folks who like to shop.

Haha, we just walked by the US Embassy office in a Vienna neighborhood in the 9th District yesterday. Maybe I should have asked one of the guards or rung the doorbell :).

Edit: it will be nice to get some reports about what actually happens as people start flying home this month and next.

Up until now, it was up to the Customs officer on duty (In the US), to decide if they should levy a duty on goods you brought in if you went over the limits. Quite often, if the duty was a small amount and you were honest, they didn't want to bother with the paperwork. (They were after bigger game.)

I wonder if that will still be the case?

"I wonder if that will still be the case?"

Some places yes, some places no.

Even when the limit was $800 it was prudent to keep receipts.

Off topic, but Mona I hope you were visiting the nearby Strudlhofstiege and/or the Liechtenstein Palais. Let me know if you need any tips.

Thanks for checking in Emily. Yes we had a wonderful walk and lunch through the 9th. We were with another California forum member and talked about how your great neighborhood walks have been so helpful. I almost sent you a PM two days ago but stopped myself. It’s timely though because it was about buying yet two more little things(!) that I can’t find here. I think I’ll send you a PM and you can give me a quick answer if you can. We leave here on Thursday.

It would be great to have (mostly) a single forum thread about people's US-airport experiences with CBP as they return. I won't be back home until mid-September, so I assume I will not be the first person to report.

And cost more--possibly a LOT more :( I will admit a fondness, acquired from my travels, for the goods from several foreign companies. It's always a happy day when a parcel arrives via Royal Mail or Canada Post, even more so now that I am not able to travel abroad due to my elderly parents. I had a birthday a week ago and decided to treat myself to a sweater and blouse from White Stuff ( they have independent shops and I discovered them in John Lewis in Edinburgh in 2023, made room in my suitcase for London last year). They use Evri for shipping, and thus as usual I started receiving emails from Evri re my parcel. To my horror they weren't shipping updates but asking me to pay duties and taxes as the garments were made in China...they are legit, and they request this payment prior to the parcel leaving the UK, in case I refused to pay the parcel would be easier to return. I decided I didn't want to relinquish my birthday "treat", nor did I want to see how long it would take for a refund from White Stuff, so I paid the $68.47--about $11 of it was fees. On top of a $142 purchase, ugh. Shipping was free, though! I am going to enjoy the hell out of these garments, believe you me.

My other favorite companies that I will think twice about purchasing from, (or not at all, time for the secondary market) though I appreciate their continuing to ship to the US, with warnings re duties and taxes on their websites, a few are just plain in a quandary about the whole matter:

Seasalt Cornwall
Liberty of London
Persephone Books
Blackwell's Books
Smoking Lily--small company, items are made in and shipped from Victoria, BC.
Deanne Fitzpatrick Rug Studio--fabulous hand-dyed wool and rug hooking patterns from Nova Scotia.

From our friends at AI if you trust the source.

Effective August 29, 2025, the U.S. is suspending the de minimis exemption for most shipments, including:

Commercial imports

Courier deliveries (FedEx, DHL, UPS)

Online purchases shipped directly from abroad

What’s NOT affected: Personal items in your luggage when returning from international travel. You still retain the $800 personal duty-free exemption for goods you physically bring back—like wine, olive oil, clothing, or gifts.

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/cbp_form_6059b_english_0.pdf

The most recent form on the CBP website is a July 2024 edition. It confirms what Threadwear found on AI.

July 2024 was 13 months ago.

Will it be current on Aug 30th?

Multiple choice answers:
a) yes
b) no
c) maybe
d) other
e) none of the above