U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says that it has collected more than $1 billion in duties on over 246 million low-value parcels since it began phasing out de minimis exemptions in 2025.

According to a December 17 release from the agency, CBP seizures of unsafe and non-compliant low-value goods have also increased by 82%, including counterfeit products, narcotics, faulty electronics and hazardous chemicals.

“With increased visibility into data for these low-value shipments, we’re better equipped to detect and disrupt criminal networks from smuggling drugs, counterfeits and other illegal items, making our country safer," said CBP Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Susan Thomas.

The Trump administration first revoked U.S. de minimis exemptions for all shipments worth less than $800 coming from China in early February, before reversing course days later after unprocessed packages started piling up at customs facilities. The phase-out restarted in May — again for all low-value parcels shipped from China — with exemptions ending for all other countries in late-August.

Chinese e-commerce retailers such as Shein and Temu have taken advantage of de minimis exemptions for years to ship billions of small parcels into the U.S. daily. Because de minimis-eligible packages are subject to less scrutiny from customs, the loophole has also been exploited by criminal networks to move fentanyl precursor chemicals and counterfeit goods, allowing illicit shipments to slip past inspection and enforcement controls that typically apply to larger, formally declared imports.

In mid-December, the European Union introduced a plan to end its own €150 ($176) de minimis exemption, with plans to introduce a €3 per package customs charge on low-value e-commerce parcels, starting July 1, 2026. The United Kingdom also launched a review of its de minimis policies in 2025, although it currently isn't planning to end the loophole until March 2029 at the earliest, according to The Times.