US tariffs and book shipping cost

The issue of US exports has become significantly more complicated since 2025 due to the new US trade policy (“Trump Tariffs 2.0”). While books under customs tariff number 4901.99.00 theoretically continue to have a “general rate” of 0% (duty-free), there are two major hurdles that publishers are currently facing:

1. Elimination of the “de minimis” rule (the $800 limit)
Previously, small shipments up to $800 could be sent to the US with almost no red tape.

• Current situation: Duty-free status for shipments under $800 has been largely abolished. This means that, in theory, every single package, even if it is only a book worth €20, may now be subject to formal customs declaration and duties.
  
  
• Problem for shipping: Postal service providers and couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) now often charge additional processing fees that can exceed the price of the book.

2. Additional duties (Trump tariffs / IEEPA)
In addition to the regular customs duty (which is 0% for books), the US government has introduced flat-rate additional duties on imports.

• The current rate: Since August 2025, goods from the EU are often subject to a flat-rate additional duty of 15%.
  
  
• The good news for books: There is an important exception, known as the Berman Amendment. This law prohibits the US president from restricting or taxing the import of “information materials” (books, films, music) through emergency regulations (such as IEEPA tariffs).
  
  
• However: In order to take advantage of this exception, the sender must often provide additional codes (e.g., from Chapter 99 of the US Customs Tariff) on the customs declaration to explicitly mark the package as “Tariff Exempt.” If this is not done, US Customs will simply charge the flat rate of 15%.

Summary of current problems:

Problem Impact on the publisher
Bureaucracy: Each individual shipment requires a complete digital customs declaration (ITMATT data).
Costs: New postal fees for “customs clearance” for small shipments (often between €10 and €20 per package).
Delivery: Readers in the US sometimes have to pick up packages at the post office and pay the 15% “Trump tax” plus fees if the publisher has not declared the exemption correctly.
Recommendation for shipping:

Publishers are currently increasingly using “Delivered Duty Paid” (DDP) shipping options, where the publisher pays the fees in advance so that the reader does not experience any unpleasant surprises at the door. However, this is highly unprofitable for individual books due to the high fixed costs, so we cannot offer this.

(Source: Gemini)