Foreign trade zones: how FTZs work for retail importers
Tariffs & Customs deep dive: Foreign trade zones: how FTZs work for retail importers.
Tariffs & Customs
Tariff news, customs regulations, import-export rules, and trade policy affecting commerce.
Duty drawback: how importers reclaim duties they paid
Tariffs & Customs deep dive: Duty drawback: how importers reclaim duties they paid.
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties explained for importers
Tariffs & Customs deep dive: Anti-dumping and countervailing duties explained for importers.
Section 301 tariffs on China imports: a seller’s primer
Tariffs & Customs deep dive: Section 301 tariffs on China imports: a seller’s primer.
Why the EU’s €2 parcel handling fee is likely to slip past November: 3 signals
Prediction: the EU-wide €2 parcel handling fee likely misses its provisional November 1, 2026 start and slips into 2027, while the €3 duty stays live. Three recent signals point to a delay, with national fees fragmenting the bloc in the gap.
Why the global de minimis domino accelerates before Q2 2027: 3 policy signals
The US, EU and UK have all moved to scrap or shrink low-value import de minimis relief within eighteen months. At least one more G7 or G20 economy is likely to follow before the end of Q1 2027, and the direct-from-China duty-free parcel is entering terminal decline.
The parcel that pays no tax: how China’s DDP machine drives a lorry through EU customs
Billions of undervalued DDP parcels enter the EU almost unchecked, dodging duty and VAT while local retailers pay in full. How the loophole works, and why the EU keeps waving it through.
Temu and Shein: 2026 is the year the bill finally lands
The US killed de minimis, the EU is following, and safety rules are tightening. The cheap-parcel arbitrage behind Temu and Shein is running out of road.
CBP tariff refund rollout stumbles: 4.36m entries fail validation
US Customs and Border Protection’s bulk tariff refund rollout stumbled on July 3 as 4.36 million entries failed validation. More than $71bn in IEEPA duty refunds has been certified, but finally liquidated importers are being left out.
Why Temu and Shein will pivot to EU local fulfillment before year-end: 3 regulatory deadlines
Three EU regulatory deadlines converge in the second half of 2026: the EUR 3 customs duty, mandatory product identifiers, and active DSA enforcement. The pattern suggests Temu and Shein will pivot to EU local fulfillment and raise prices on cheap imports before year-end.