Chinese Ecommerce Sellers on Temu, TikTok Shop, Amazon FBA: How Do You Handle US Customs After De Minimis?
Chen Cui Co-Founder of GingerControl What changed: Rewritten for sellers: classification and duty checks are done in GingerLite, whose Classification Researcher reads Chinese product descriptions; the claim that the enterprise API takes Chinese is removed (it takes English). Section 301 rates, the $250 informal-entry limit and the de minimis dates are brought up to date; the year is off the title.
Every China-origin parcel now enters the US with an HTS code, a declared origin and the full duty, so sellers on Temu, TikTok Shop, Amazon FBA and their own sites need a correct 10-digit code for each product, a landed cost that includes every Section 301 layer, and an importer of record who files the entry, usually through a licensed US customs broker. The work is per product, not per parcel: classify each SKU once, keep the reasoning, and recheck when a rule changes. Most catalogs start in Chinese, so keep the Chinese original next to the English description the code was based on.
In this post
- What changed for China-origin parcels?
- What duty does a China-origin product owe now?
- Who is the importer of record for a Chinese seller?
- How should a seller classify a catalog written in Chinese?
- How do you keep up when a US rule changes?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Start with your top 50 products
- References
What changed for China-origin parcels?
Three steps took away the duty-free route:
- May 2, 2025: de minimis ended for goods from China and Hong Kong.
- August 29, 2025: duty-free de minimis treatment was suspended for every country.
- June 24, 2026: CBP rules suspended it indefinitely for every mode, postal included; a new postal entry process followed on July 24, 2026 [1].
Every parcel now goes through entry and pays whatever duty its code carries. Goods reported under a Chapter 99 subchapter III or IV heading, which since July 24, 2026 includes nearly every China-origin product (9903.05.31) as well as Section 232 goods, cannot use an informal entry above $250 (19 CFR 143.21(a)); CBP proposed on October 8, 2026 to remove that limit, with comments due December 7, 2026 [2]. A parcel whose code, value or origin does not add up can be held for review.
What duty does a China-origin product owe now?
The base rate plus layers that depend on the 10-digit code:
| Layer | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Section 301, Lists 1 to 3 | 25% | Much machinery, electronic components and many home goods |
| Section 301, List 4A | 7.5% | Many apparel, footwear and consumer goods [3] |
| Section 301, raised in the 2024 review | 25% to 100% | For example non-EV lithium-ion batteries 25% from January 1, 2026 |
| Forced-labor Section 301 (China) | 12.5% | Since July 24, 2026, on top of the lists, heading 9903.05.31; Section 232 articles and a short product list are exempt [4] |
| Section 232 metals | 50% or 25% | On the full value since April 6, 2026, for listed steel, aluminum and copper articles [5] |
Two examples:
- Cotton knit T-shirt, HTS 6109.10.00: 16.5% base + 7.5% List 4A + 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 = 36.5% [4].
- Steel bolts with nuts, HTS 7318.15.20: Free base + 25% List 3 + 50% Section 232 = 75%; the forced-labor duty does not apply because Section 232 articles are exempt [4] [5].
Check each code, not the category: two products in the same store category can sit on different lists.
Who is the importer of record for a Chinese seller?
Whoever files the entry and owes the duty. A seller with no US company usually works with a licensed US customs broker, who files for an importer of record the seller appoints or provides. Bulk inbound to an Amazon FBA warehouse usually goes through a formal entry with an importer of record named on it. Marketplace programs that ship for you may take on the importer role for those orders; read their terms. Whatever the model, the importer of record has to use reasonable care in classifying and valuing the goods [6], so the codes you supply carry legal weight.
How should a seller classify a catalog written in Chinese?
- Keep the Chinese original on each SKU next to the English description the code is based on. A translation that drops a material (锦纶 is nylon, 涤纶 is polyester) or a function is the most common way a correct process produces a wrong code.
- Collect what decides the code: material and share, knit or woven, function, power source, and every piece in a set.
- Classify each product with its reasoning on record. GingerControl's Classification Researcher, in the GingerLite app, reads product descriptions in Chinese or English, returns a 10-digit HTS code with the GRI reasoning behind it, and asks when your description leaves out a fact that decides the code. One classification takes 3 to 5 minutes with its full report; in the app each product is its own case.
- Price it by entry date. GingerControl's Tariff Calculator takes the code, value and entry date and shows each US layer, MPF and HMF, and compares 200+ origin countries, which helps when you weigh moving production.
- Give your broker the code with its reasoning. GingerControl's classifications are for general reference, educational and planning purposes; your licensed customs broker reviews each code before it goes on an entry.
Companies classifying whole catalogs in batches use GingerOS, the system GingerControl builds for larger importers; it also reads Chinese documents. The Classification + Tariff Calculation API, for enterprise systems, takes English descriptions.
For Chinese-language catalogs, HS classification from Mandarin product descriptions separates the supported document workflow from an English-only API input.
How do you keep up when a US rule changes?
US duty changes by proclamation and Federal Register notice. Two ways to keep up, one free and one paid:
- Policy Briefings (free): one email when a US trade rule changes, each starting from the primary document.
- Compliance Radar (in GingerLite): checks new US trade notices against your own HTS codes and lists what to redo by the effective date.
For storefront margin monitoring, Compliance Radar for ecommerce sellers connects a policy change to the affected catalog items.
Chinese 3PLs that handle these steps for many sellers have their own guide: compliance for Chinese 3PLs serving US imports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Temu, TikTok Shop and Amazon FBA sellers need different HTS codes?
No. The HTS code depends on the product, not the marketplace, so one product has one code wherever it sells. What differs by marketplace is who acts as importer of record and how the goods enter, so check each program's terms for who files and who pays.
How much Section 301 duty does a China-origin product pay now?
It depends on the 10-digit code: 25% for Lists 1 to 3, 7.5% for List 4A, up to 100% for products raised in the 2024 review, plus 12.5% under the forced-labor Section 301 since July 24, 2026 unless the product is exempt. A cotton T-shirt from China pays 36.5% in all.
Can I classify products from Chinese descriptions without translating first?
Yes, in GingerControl's Classification Researcher, which reads Chinese and English product descriptions and returns a 10-digit HTS code with its reasoning. Keep the Chinese original next to the English description on each SKU either way, so your broker can see what the code was based on. The enterprise API takes English descriptions.
What does a Chinese seller without a US company need to import?
An importer of record and a licensed US customs broker to file the entry, plus a correct HTS code, value and origin for every product. Many sellers appoint a broker or an importer-of-record service; marketplace programs that ship for you may cover it for those orders.
Can I still ship parcels under $800 duty free to the US?
No. Duty-free de minimis treatment ended for China and Hong Kong on May 2, 2025, for every country on August 29, 2025, and CBP rules suspended it indefinitely from June 24, 2026, postal shipments included. Every parcel goes through entry and pays whatever duty its code carries.
What does GingerLite cost for a seller?
The GingerLite app is $150 a month for 300 credits, with top-ups if you run out. Every classification and every Tariff Calculator run uses credits.
Start with your top 50 products
Classify the products that ship most, keep each code's reasoning, and check their duty by entry date. GingerLite, the GingerControl app for small businesses and customs brokers, does those three things: the Classification Researcher, the Tariff Calculator and Compliance Radar, for $150 a month for 300 credits. Open GingerLite.
References
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, interim final rule on de minimis, 91 FR 37789
Data cited: de minimis suspended for every country since August 29, 2025; suspended indefinitely for every mode, postal included, from June 24, 2026; a new postal informal-entry process from July 24, 2026 (91 FR 37801)
Source: Federal Register 2026-12670 and Federal Register 2026-12669
Published: June 24, 2026 - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, proposed rule on the $250 informal-entry limit, 91 FR 64532
Data cited: 19 CFR 143.21(a) limit for goods in Chapter 99 subchapter III or IV; proposal to remove it, comments due December 7, 2026
Source: Federal Register 2026-20650
Published: October 8, 2026 - USTR, Section 301 List 4A rate reduced to 7.5%, 85 FR 3741
Data cited: List 4A at 7.5% from February 14, 2020
Source: Federal Register 2020-00904
Published: January 22, 2020 - USTR, Notice of actions in the Section 301 investigations, 91 FR 47318
Data cited: forced-labor Section 301 from July 24, 2026; China 12.5% (9903.05.31) on top of the China lists; exemptions under U.S. note 52
Source: Federal Register 2026-15181
Published: July 28, 2026 - Proclamation 11021, Section 232 metals, 91 FR 18201
Data cited: Section 232 on the full customs value from April 6, 2026; Annex I-A 50%, Annex I-B 25%
Source: Federal Register 2026-06960
Published: April 9, 2026 - 19 U.S.C. 1484, Entry of merchandise
Data cited: the importer of record classifies and values goods using reasonable care
Source: 19 U.S.C. 1484, Legal Information Institute
Shortlisting AI for trade compliance?
Hand this to GingerOS.
Pick a 30-minute slot on the next page with Chen Cui, our CEO. Bring one notice or one SKU list (an ERP export, a spreadsheet or an email will do) and see what GingerOS does with it.
Reviewed by Michael Weick, LCB / CCS
