US Customs Changes: What Happens On 24th July?
📌 Summary: On 24th July 2026 the United States makes two changes to imported parcels. The temporary 10% Global Tariff that has been added to most goods since February is set to expire, and parcels sent into the US through the postal network lose their simplified treatment and move onto full standard customs duties and entry. On top of that, more data is becoming mandatory on every shipment, including 10-digit tariff codes. Here is what is changing, what it means for your US orders with us, and a deeper section for other businesses shipping into the US.
Two changes, one date
Two separate things happen to US-bound parcels on the same day (24th July), and it is worth keeping them apart because they pull in different directions.
The first is the expiry of a temporary surcharge (Temporary Global Tariff) that has been adding 10% to most US imports since February.
The second is the end of the simplified, flat-rate way postal parcels have been clearing US customs.
Change one: the 10% GLOBAL TARIFF expires
In February, the US brought in a temporary 10% global tariff on virtually all goods entering the country, regardless of where they came from. It took effect on 24th February 2026 and applied across the board.
The legal power used to bring it in (Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974) has a hard limit built into it. A surcharge like this can run for no more than 150 days. Unless the US Congress votes to extend it, which is widely seen as unlikely, the surcharge expires on 24th July 2026.
This surcharge has had a turbulent life. A US trade court has already ruled it unlawful, the government has appealed, and for now it is still being collected while that plays out. More importantly, the US administration has other tariff tools it has reached for, and new measures are expected to come into place from 24th July. The 10% global tariff may drop away, but something else (potentially worse) may step into place.
Change two: postal parcels lose their shortcut
This is the change that affects how parcels physically clear US customs, and it is the one most people underestimate.
When the US ended its $800 duty-free allowance (de minimis) in 2025, postal parcels were given a temporary window to update their systems. Instead of being forced through full formal customs entry straight away, they could clear under a simplified arrangement, including a lower flat per-item duty rate rather than a full percentage-based calculation tied to HS codes.
That window closes on the 24th July. From that date, parcels sent into the US through the postal network move to full standard customs duties and entry, the same treatment couriers like UPS, FedEX & DHL already face. The simplified flat-fee route closes, and duty is charged as a percentage of the declared value of the goods.
What full standard entry actually means
Every parcel needs a formal customs filing.
Each shipment is entered electronically into the US customs system, with duty assessed on declared value rather than waved through easily.
Every parcel needs a precise 10-digit tariff code.
Not a rough 6-digit category. The full 10-digit US tariff code, because that is what sets the exact duty rate applied to the item.
Every parcel needs accurate origin and value declared.
Country of origin and customs value have to be correct and supportable, not estimated.
Duties stack by origin.
The base US tariff duty for the product, plus any extra duties that apply to its country of origin, all calculated on value. For goods made in China in particular, these can add up quickly!
In plain terms, US postal (Royal Mail to USPS) is now going to be treated like any other commercial import.
Change three: more data on every shipment
Running underneath both of the above is a broader tightening. US customs is progressively demanding more structured data on every single shipment.
That means specific product identifiers, accurate origin, and longer, more precise HS codes, with the 10-digit code being the clearest example.
We are reviewing every product against these requirements: extending our HS Codes from 6 to precise 10-digits, checking our origins for accuracy and writing clear customs descriptions.
Mid-July we will toggle off 'simplified postal duties collection' in shopify's tax and duties section, and replace it with the collection of precise taxes & duties based on country of origin & exact per-item tariff code duties.
What this means for your basket
This is the part that matters most if you if you're based in the U.S. and order from Stickiply, and it splits cleanly down the middle. You may remember before the February temporary Global Tariff came into place, the U.S. were charging extra, long-standing duties on goods made in China, well these will be coming back sadly.
Stickers, magnetic bookmarks & OTHER CUSTOM PRODUCTS made in the UK
Our Create items are printed, laminated, cut and finished in our UK based workshop, so their country of origin is the UK. Once the 10% global tariff expires on 24th July, a UK-made item heading to the US faces only the standard base US duty for that product type, which for stickers and paper goods is very low.
Printable vinyl, laminates, photo paper, crafting tools & More
Our printable vinyl, laminate films, photo papers and most tools are made in China and so carry 'Chinese Origin' on customs documents. Packing and shipping from the UK does not change where they were made.
Plastic-based supplies like vinyl and laminate already carry a U.S. duty on Chinese plastics of around 25% (Section 301). That duty exists today but get's bypassed via the current simplified postal rates which are due to end 24th July. From that date, the 25% tariff will then apply again to most orders of supplies. Origin based duties are then placed on top of these 25% section 301 tariffs.
Second, the U.S. is actively reviewing these China duties and is expected to raise them further.
For a U.S. based customer, a small order of supplies that landed with a 10% tariff before is likely to cost noticeably more after 24th July. However, we will always include all duties at the checkout for your review so you'll never get hit by any unexpected costs (minus some local sales tax from your state if applicable).
Our UK-made Create range is the cleanest and most low cost option to order into the U.S. For supplies, the duty is driven by Chinese origin, and plastic based tariffs, not by us, and consolidating into fewer, larger orders spreads the per-parcel customs duties over more items rather than paying it on lots of small ones.
If you ship to the US yourself
Here is what we would do now to get ahead of 24th July. Skip this section if you are a customer rather than a seller.
UPDATE YOUR 6-digit HS codes
For US entry you now need full 10-digit tariff codes, not just the 6-digit categories that have worked in the past. The last four digits change the exact duty rate. If your catalogue only carries 6-digit codes, that gap becomes a potential charge for the customer by your courier or customs.
Tighten your customs descriptions
Marketing names are not customs descriptions. With US customs demanding fuller datasets, every product needs a plain physical description, correct country of origin, accurate customs value, and any required product identifiers. They don't need to know the theme of your stickers, just that it's a plastic or paper sticker made in the UK.
CHECK YOUR SHIPPING PLATFORM
Sending parcels into US mail without a duty-paid arrangement now risks them being held or the recipient being billed heavily at delivery. Check your shipping platform or courier and ensure you are charging your customer the correct amount of duty before hand.
Watch FOR what replaces the 10% GLOBAL TARIFF
The global tariff is expiring, but new US tariff measures are expected around the same window. Treat the post-24th-July US tariff picture as unsettled and keep checking for updates.
Questions?
If you have a question about how these changes affect a specific US order, email us at hello@stickiply.com and we will do our best to help. If you are another business preparing for the same shift, the sources below go into more technical depth than we have here. We are writing from our own reading of the information available as of now, and this is not a substitute for formal legal or customs advice.
Sources and further reading
- Federal Register, proclamation imposing the temporary 10% US import surcharge. The official text setting the surcharge and its 24th July 2026 expiry.
- The White House, "Continuing the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries". Covers duty collection on international postal shipments and the origin and value declaration rules.
- Avalara, "De minimis exemptions are ending: Is your business ready?". Explains the simplified postal duty methods, the move to percentage-of-value duty, and the 10-digit code requirement.
- CustomsCity, "How to Clear U.S. Postal Shipments in a Post De Minimis World". Practical breakdown of full formal and informal entry for postal parcels.
- PwC, "US Court of International Trade strikes down Section 122 tariffs". Background on the legal challenge, the appeal, and the surcharge's status heading into the July expiry.
