05/17/2025

Sudden Fees and No Warnings

Welcome to shopping with tariffs in 2025

Some shoppers are getting surprised with new fees from online purchases, sometimes days or weeks after ordering, as tariffs on Chinese goods hit U.S. consumers.

It’s not clear how widespread the issue is, but shoppers are reporting that they have been getting notices from carrier companies, including UPS and DHL, that they owe new fees, long after the purchase was made.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of 10 percent on nearly every country and 30 percent for most products from China. On top of that, the White House closed a loophole, known as the de minimis exemption, on small-value items from China. Packages worth less than $800 used to enter the country tariff-free, but as of May 2, those shipments from China are subject to tariffs.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.