Aramex Australia has issued a service update warning that the United States will suspend its de minimis duty-free exemption from 29 August 2025, fundamentally changing the cost equation for Australian businesses shipping goods to American consumers.
What’s Changing
Until now, parcels valued under $800 USD entering the United States were exempt from customs duties under the de minimis threshold. This exemption allowed Australian e-commerce sellers and small exporters to ship goods to US customers without incurring tariffs, keeping landed costs low and checkout prices competitive.
From 29 August 2025, that exemption ceases to apply. Most goods shipped from Australia to the US will now incur a minimum 10 percent tariff, with some product categories attracting higher rates. Critically, every order — no matter how small its value — will now be subject to taxes and duties at the US border.
The change is part of broader US trade policy adjustments. The Australian Government’s export advisory confirms the suspension and provides guidance for affected exporters.
How Aramex Is Responding
Aramex Australia, which operates 28 regional franchises and more than 800 courier franchisees nationally, has announced a pre-export review process for all US-bound shipments. Under this new workflow:
- All USA-bound Aramex shipments will be held by Aramex’s team in Sydney before being exported.
- Senders will be notified of the estimated tariff applicable to their shipment.
- Shipments will only be released once the sender has reviewed and approved the estimated duty amount.
This hold-and-notify approach is designed to prevent unexpected charges at the US border and give senders the opportunity to cancel or adjust shipments before they leave the country. For businesses shipping high volumes, the additional step introduces a new processing consideration that may affect dispatch timelines.
What Australian Sellers Need to Do
The impact extends well beyond Aramex customers. Any Australian business selling to the US market — whether through Shopify, eBay, WooCommerce, Magento, or other platforms — needs to reassess its US pricing and shipping strategy. As Shippit’s analysis of the tariff changes outlines, the practical consequences for merchants include:
- Higher landed costs: A minimum 10 percent tariff on top of existing shipping costs directly raises the price US consumers pay.
- Increased cart abandonment risk: Unexpected duties at delivery are a leading cause of abandoned international orders. Sellers who do not build tariff costs into their checkout pricing risk losing sales at the final mile.
- Margin pressure: Absorbing tariff costs to maintain competitive US pricing will compress margins, particularly for lower-value goods where the percentage impact is proportionally larger.
Steps to prepare
- Audit your US order volumes and product mix to understand which items attract the base 10 percent rate and which may face higher tariffs.
- Update your checkout experience to display estimated duties upfront, either by building them into the product price (DDP — Delivered Duty Paid) or clearly itemising them at checkout.
- Review carrier agreements to understand how your logistics partners will handle the new customs requirements and whether processing times will change.
- Communicate proactively with US customers about potential price adjustments and longer processing windows during the transition period.
Broader Industry Implications
The end of the de minimis exemption represents a significant structural shift for cross-border e-commerce from Australia to the US. Businesses that previously relied on the duty-free threshold to keep small-parcel exports competitive will need to adapt quickly. For Australian 3PLs and fulfilment providers handling US-bound orders, the change adds customs complexity to what were previously straightforward parcel shipments.
With the 29 August deadline approaching, sellers shipping to the United States should act now to avoid disruption.