Boardgame Bulletin 25-7 / Book Shelf 25-16 / TTRPG Roll 25-21 / Wargame SITREP 25-32 ~ De Minimus to the maximus

If you are a consumer that buys products from overseas like I occasional do the changes coming to the de minimus entry rules look to be shockingly…expensive. Here is how game tray supplier Cube4Me out of Poland related the news to their customers:

We have bad news for our U.S. customers. On July 30, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries,” which eliminates the de minimis entry rule (duty-free entry into the United States of shipments valued at $800 or less) for goods entered for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT, August 29, 2025.

What does this mean for our customers?

Starting August 29, 2025, all our packages shipped to the U.S. will be subject to tariffs, which will eventually be set at approximately 15% of the total package value.

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there. In the first six months after the change, there will be a transition phase in which each package will incur a flat $80 duty — regardless of the order value.

Cube4Me Blog, August 6, 2025

De-what?

If you do not know what de minimus is, here is the explanation from Easyship:

The de minimis provision allows low-value imported goods (under $800) to enter the U.S. duty free, skipping the usual customs process. This applied to both postal shipments and commercial low value shipments.

The exemption helped small sellers avoid applicable duties and complex paperwork. It sped up shipping through the international postal network and made it easier to compete in the U.S. market.

But it also created a loophole. Many shippers worldwide used it to send below market products, counterfeit goods, or even illicit substances with less scrutiny. From 2015 to 2024, the number of parcels entering under this exemption increased over 600%, from 139 million to more than 1.36 billion annually. In 2023 alone, 4 million de minimis parcels crossed the border each day.

Easyship

The transition phase mentioned above is intended to give the United States time to finalize updates to the Automated Commercial Environment system that supports filing of paperwork and payment of fees.

“Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” – Gen. Robert H. Barrow, USMC (Commandant of the Marine Corps) noted in 1980

What does this mean for consumers like myself who occasionally purchase games or books from overseas (i.e. outside the United States)? At the moment it looks like there are two possible strategies: use the personal gift exemption or seek localized fulfillment.

De minimus rates do not apply to personal gift shipments. Yet, while overseas sellers might try to ship product into the US using the gift exemption, if caught they might be subject to escalating fines.

The other choice is to go with localized fulfillment. In some ways this appears to mirror the challenges US publishers like GMT Games faces when shipping to Europe. To avoid exorbitant import rates, a publisher partners with a local fulfillment center to ship a quantity of games in not using de minimus rates. This model is, of course, much slower to fulfill and requires a certain quantity to exceed de minimus.

In the short-term one solution is to order now ahead of the rate change. That is the rationale behind the present Cube4Me offer that accompanied their de minimus change alert. This approach only works if the product is in-stock and ready to shipment.

My mid-term concern it what the impact of the de minimus changes will have on several Kickstarter or direct-from-publisher pre-orders I am supporting. Will those Kickstarter creators be forced to add the $80 fee to shipping? Or will they be able to find a localized fulfillment partner?

[Titles supported that I personally consider at-risk include:

• Model’s Counterattack. Dissimula Edizioni (Italy) via Kickstarter.
• Song for War: Mediterranean Theater. Invicta Rex Games, LLC (UK) via Kickstarter. [Dag’nabit! Wrong Invicata!]
• Battlegroup Clash: Baltics. Sapper Studio (UK) via direct pre-order.]

I also sense that the generosity of Bonsai Games that occasionally comps me a game in exchange for my comments may find it too expensive to continue.]

In the longer term, once an automated system is ready the rates will stabilize around whatever the tariff is for the country of origin. As Easyship notes, “The end of de minimis means many low-value products previously imported duty-free will now face full tariffs and taxes at the border, increasing the landed cost and ultimately retail prices.” While I am not thrilled with the prospect of increased cost, as I understand it the tariff is based not on retail price but production cost (which is usually less). For a good example see the tariff adjustments GMT Games is charging.

All of which reintroduces the real elephant in the room—US-based production. It is clear to me that gaming production fled overseas due to lower costs that in turned drove many US printers out of the market. It is just as clear to me that the current administration has a strong desire (imperative?) to on-shore many industries that moved away in the past several decades. Where one personally lands on that issue is, well, personal. Maybe I need to invest in a good printer and polish up my arts-‘n-crafts skills to use print-n-play versions assembled by myself.

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