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FAQ: Suspension of De Minimis

A new Executive Order was published declaring the suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis treatment for all countries, as of midnight, Friday August 29, 2025. Below are some frequently asked questions

Thank You For Your Patience

🔔We have a high volume of inquries and we appreciate your patience as our team tackles each one with care in the order received.

CUSMA

You can now submit SKUs for approval if the country of origin is Canada, U.S., or Mexico and you meet CUSMA requirements (Rules of Origin are met) without the S/S+ indicator and it shows Free in the General Duty column. Be sure to check that your HTS code is valid (appears on the US site).

Learn more

IEEPA Tariff Exemptions (Informational material) 

If you have an HTS code that starts with ’49’  – this falls under chapter 49 which is typically duty free and currently exempt from blanket tariffs. Other HTS codes may also be exempt, read more (under heading ‘What are informational materials…’

Update Tue, Sep 23

As with any major industry-wide change, there have been some challenges. We experienced technical issues while adapting to the new entry process, and in some cases, shipments were dropped off with incomplete or incorrect information, which added to the delays.

We’re excited to share some positive updates. The final truck carrying backlogged items is scheduled to cross the border by the end of today.

What does this mean for you?

You will find the latest tracking event for your shipment on your tracking page. Once a shipment has crossed into the US, please allow 1-2 business days for our partners to process and scan your shipment. Once our partners update the scan, you will see the induction scan in your tracking updates.

Our delivery ranges reflect the time it takes for your shipment to clear customs, cross the border and be delivered. These are estimated in business days.

We sincerely thank everyone for their patience as we navigated these recent changes together. Your support has been greatly appreciated!

Common reasons for delays result from incorrect or missing information – we’ve made adjustments to catch any missing information at time of postage creation.

What You Can Do

  • 👉 Ensure manufacturer information is valid and matches the country of origin
    • I.e. Country of origin is China – the manufacturer address MUST be a Chinese address
    • Entering placeholder text (Unknown, N/A, etc.) will result in shipments being rejected and further delays
  • 👉 Ensure you provide a valid 10 digit HTS code

Resource Hub

With so much information find key topics below that will provide additional resources and FAQs to help you navigate these changes.

US Shipping Is Changing — And We’re All Feeling It

To our Chit Chats family,

Lately, everything is changing — and fast. There are new rules and regulations, which are demanding the creation of new systems. It’s been a lot to keep up with and you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed.

Behind the scenes, our team is collaborating with our broker to develop the system and working closely with US Customs to ensure our Canadian ecommerce sellers have the information they need to remain compliant.

Not everything is in our control, Chit Chats is adapting as quickly as possible to support you through these transitions. The removal of the de minimis threshold has disrupted shipping in unprecedented ways. Not only are shipments being delayed and rejected but the new requirements are impacting your bottom line. 

What We’re Doing to Support You

We’re committed to leveraging our network to mitigate risks where we can, minimize the impact to you where possible. The learning curve is steep for all of us but we’re working around the clock to troubleshoot, communicate and provide solutions to help you continue to ship. 

We understand shipping is an integral part of your business but we also know your client experience matters. Whether you’re a solo Etsy artisan, a seasoned eBay seller, or a growing online brand, we know these changes are creating real challenges. 

🇨🇦 Chit Chats Puts Canada First

This isn’t the first time Canadian businesses have faced cross-border shipping challenges. In fact helping Canadian eCommerce sellers succeed is at the heart of what we do. Back in 2001, when our founder Derek Nolan saw firsthand how hard it was for small businesses to ship affordably and reliably from Canada and compete globally. That mission has never changed.

Moving Forward Together

We know this is a tough moment, but we want you to know we’re in it with you. Our commitment remains the same: to find solutions that empower Canadian businesses to thrive, no matter how the rules shift. Thank you for trusting us through this journey; we’ll continue to keep you informed and supported every step of the way.

FAQs

Postage Is DDU (duties unpaid) no longer available with Chit Chats? – click for answer

There are no DDU options at this time. We understand that many sellers prefer to have duties collected at the time of delivery from the recipient and our team is exploring if we can provide a solution. There is no timeline if and when a DDU solution will be available but we will update all clients if this changes.

For Chit Chats Edge and Chit Chats Select – is this a postal or non-postal service?

Due to our method of entry into the US, both Chit Chats U.S. Edge and U.S. Select are non-postal services. Other postages partnered with Canada Post and PostNL follow under postal services. You will not be required to pay the $200 ad valorem fee, however you will be expected to pay a tariff fee based on the item(s) declared.

If I ship with USPS Media Mail will this still be available? 

USPS Media Mail is available through our DDP (duties paid) option. The country of origin, valid HTS code, and manufacturer information must be declared in order to obtain rates. 

For tariff purposes. How to take advantage of IEEPA exemptions (apparently under HTSUS Chapter 49) so that we can still send books etc to the US without tariffs? 

  • Regarding books, the respective HTS code is dependent on the nature of the item (textbook, paperback novel, children’s picture book, etc.).
  • Depending on the HTS code associated with the book-related item, it may be exempt from the base duty rate. In addition, we have confirmed that they are exempt from blanket (aka reciprocal) tariffs as well. There may be additional duties depending on the country of origin, refer to the HTS website to confirm.

Will I need to provide a manufacturer address for books when I don’t have it?

  • To access DDP (duties paid) postage options you are required to provide manufacturer information. If it cannot be provided our DDU options can be an alternative as you only require the country of origin and a valid HTS code.
Update Aug 28

✅ DDP Postage

The only way to ship to the US is with DDP (duties paid). 

  • To see postage rates for DDP, it is mandatory to provide:
    • The Country of Origin (COO) of the product (also physically labelled)
    • Manufacturer information (address & postal code that match the COO)
    • 10 digit HTS code, (valid as per US Harmonized Tariff Schedule) which determines the applicable tariff rate
  • Common errors if you cannot see postage is invalid HTS code or missing manufacturer information.

DDP Costs Breakdown

  • Postage cost (as usual)
  • Chit Chats Insurance (if added)
  • Tariffs (if applicable)
    • Combination of the general rate of duty and any applicable ad valorem tariffs based on 10 digit HTS code (refer to official US site)
  • ➡️ Customs Processing is a flat fee (1.35 USD flat fee) per shipment, covering administrative costs for informal entry into the U.S.
  • ➡️ Broker Line Item is the fee for our broker to process the individual line items in the shipment (0.15 USD / line item). Example: You are shipping 1 tshirt, 2 mugs and 3 pen = 3 shipment items
  • *These fees are subject to change – we have worked hard to keep these as low as possible as we understand sellers are grappling with having to now also pay for duties on top of postage costs.
Update Aug 20

We have been informed from our partner carrier, PostNL, that the DDU (duties unpaid) option to ship to the US via Chit Chats International Tracked will be temporarily unavailable. Starting today, August 20 we will disable Chit Chats International Tracked as a DDU (recipient pays duties) option for US shipments. Chit Chats International Tracked will still be available to ship to other countries.

What does this mean?

  • Wed, Aug 20 – last day Chit Chats International packages to the US will be accepted at Chit Chats branches
  • Thu, Aug 21 onwards – Chit Chats International Tracked US shipments will no longer be accepted at branches
    • We will return back to you and you can request a postage refund through your Chit Chats account
  • Mon, Aug 25: Last day to send mail-ins, SmartDrop, drop at Drop Spots, and our Bedford, NS branch.
  • Tue, Aug 26: Last day to drop off US de minimis shipments at branches in Alberta
  • Wed, Aug 27: Last day to drop off US de minimis shipments at branches in BC, Ontario and Quebec.
  • Thu, Aug 28: Chit Chats’ last border crossing with US de minimis
  • Fri, Aug 29: Chit Chats U.S. Edge and U.S. Select shipments must have tariffs and fees paid in advance (DDP)