Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – Monday, August 25, 2025: U.S. Ends De Minimis Threshold: Global E-Commerce Enters a “New Era”
Điểm Tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) Mỗi Ngày – Thứ Hai, 25/8/2025 Mỹ bãi bỏ ngưỡng miễn thuế De Minimis: Thương mại điện tử toàn cầu bước vào “kỷ nguyên mới”.
Welcome to my unique weekday article for the paid subscriber-only edition.
Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – issued on weekdays (Monday to Friday).
Điểm tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) hằng ngày (phát hành các ngày thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu).
This is the bilingual post in English and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is below.
Đây là bài viết song ngữ Anh-Việt. Tiếng Việt ở bên dưới
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English:
News Recap
For many years, the U.S. de minimis exemption ($800) has been a lifeline for cross-border e-commerce. It allowed millions of low-value parcels from China, Southeast Asia, and Europe to flow into the U.S. without tariffs or complex paperwork. Small businesses, e-commerce startups, and even large platforms like Shein, Temu, and Amazon third-party sellers leveraged this rule to scale rapidly.
But since July 30, 2025, when President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14324 suspending the de minimis exemption (effective August 29, 2025), the entire system has shifted. The consequences quickly became clear: major carriers DHL, Deutsche Post, and Royal Mail restricted or suspended services to the U.S.; parcels faced customs delays; compliance costs rose sharply; and SMEs—many of whom relied on the “cheap cross-border” model—struggled to adapt.
This is not just a tax change. It is an operational shock. For SMEs, it is a test of Operational Excellence (OPEX): streamlining supply chains, innovating value, and adapting strategy.
The Current Situation
According to guidance issued by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) (CSMS #65934463, August 15, 2025), all shipments, regardless of value, must now be declared and duties paid starting August 29, 2025. This means:
Even a parcel worth $20 now requires a formal customs declaration and duty payment, rather than simplified de minimis treatment.
Businesses must cover not only import duties but also staff and technology costs for compliance.
Delivery times are expected to lengthen compared to the usual 5–7 days due to customs processing and carrier adjustments.
Several European postal services (Royal Mail, La Poste) suspended low-value shipments to the U.S. to avoid customer disputes.
The Wall Street Journal reported rising demand for Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) in the U.S., as importers seek to consolidate shipments, delay duty payments, and distribute domestically. This strategy favors large corporations with capital and infrastructure, but SMEs face greater challenges.