Conduct a swift audit of your product catalog and fulfillment routes to identify which SKUs or orders have been relying on the de minimis exemption. Focus on any items shipped from overseas to U.S. customers. These will now incur duties and potential delays. Quantify the business impact: how many orders or what percentage of revenue came through this channel in the past 6-12 months? This audit should also flag high-tariff product categories. For instance, an apparel brand might identify dozens of clothing items shipped from an Asian warehouse. These products, which carry high import duties, are especially vulnerable to margin erosion. Mapping these SKUs and the related customer orders should be the priority when planning solutions.

Using audit data, model the financial impact of the new rules on your unit economics. Consider orders that previously slipped in duty-free and calculate what duties would be due now. This involves identifying the correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes for your products and applying the corresponding duty rate, including any country-specific tariffs that may apply.18 For example, consider a $50 electronic gadget imported from China. Under the old rules, you paid $0 in duties, and likely avoided broker or processing fees. Now, that same item could face a 10% general import duty, plus a 7.5% China-specific tariff. That’s $8.75 in duties. Add an estimated $3 broker fee for the formal customs entry, and your new landed cost jumps from $50 to $61.75, which is a 23.5% increase. These simulations will reveal which products lose viability or require price increases. You should also simulate in bulk. If you import 1,000 units at once, what costs do you incur in duties, freight, and warehousing versus individual shipments? The answer will give you a clear understanding of the most cost-effective fulfillment strategy to employ and the margin impact this will have on each major product line. Many import-reliant brands are coming to terms with thinner margins or passing costs to consumers. Your analysis will guide which path is feasible.

Reach out to your 3PLs, freight forwarders, and parcel carriers immediately to discuss how they are handling the end of de minimis. Good partners should already have plans, but you must be informed and aligned. Start by asking the right operational questions: Can they handle formal customs entries? Do they have brokers in place and systems ready for the increased paperwork? If you’re using an overseas fulfillment center, can they reroute or consolidate shipments to the U.S. now that each package will no longer be duty-free? Some express carriers like UPS or DHL can broker shipments for a fee, but if you’re shipping at scale, consider a dedicated customs brokerage firm or a compliance platform that integrates with CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).19 Clarify operational responsibilities across your network, especially around customs compliance and the Importer of Record designation. If your company takes on that role, ensure duties and filings are handled in advance to prevent surprises downstream. Avoid setups where duties are pushed to the customer, as this often creates friction and confusion. Communicate all these decisions clearly with carriers to ensure duties are billed correctly. Ultimately, get your logistics network aligned now. Warehouse managers to last-mile carriers should know there’s a new playbook starting August 29. Open communication will also surface any partner-specific issues. The sooner you know, the faster you can adapt or find alternative solutions.