Lara GuevaraSupply Chain expert (Product and Service)

$800 Loophole Flooding US Imports Is Gone

16 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this YouTube monologue, Lara Guevara highlights a massive customs loophole that has just been closed. She cites Customs and Border Protection data showing that at its peak more than 90% of all cargo entering the United States—over a billion packages annually—was classified under the $800 de minimis exemption, meaning each shipment valued at $800 or less faced no duty and minimal classification. Guevara explains that this $800 exception has now been eliminated for every country, ending the “free pass.” She urges exporters and importers to immediately review the declared values of their outbound shipments, warning that any package previously relying on the $800 threshold will now be subject to duty and stricter scrutiny.

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Here's a number I want you sitting with for a second, because according to Customs and Border Protection, at its peak, more than 90% of everything entering this country by cargo was coming in under one exception. Over a billion packages a year, every single one of them valued at $800 or less, sailing through with no duty and basically no real classification. That's how normal, small enough to not think about, used to be, and it's not normal anymore. That $800 exception is gone for every country, and it's been gone for a while now. So put up your last outbound shipment right now if you have it handy and look at the declared value. Because if it's anywhere close to that old $800 line, that used to be your free pass and it isn't anymore.