Do not budget on the former $800 shipment exemption. CBP’s worldwide suspension took effect on August 29, 2025. Its June 24, 2026 rule separately requires non-postal merchandise formerly eligible for that exemption to use formal or informal entry procedures. (content.govdelivery.com)
Two distinctions matter:
- Courier versus international post: the June rule expressly addresses modes other than the international postal network. That scope limitation is not evidence that postal purchases recovered the former exemption; the earlier worldwide suspension also addressed postal traffic. Obtain route-specific treatment rather than applying a courier estimate automatically to mail. (govinfo.gov)
- Shipment exemption versus traveler allowance: they are different regimes. A parcel delivered after you return is not automatically treated as something accompanying you through customs. (help.cbp.gov)
What to do now: ask the seller to name the actual service, not merely say “international shipping.” Require confirmation of who supplies the customs information and whether the quoted price includes clearance charges.
For repeat wardrobes, evaluate the real shipment plan. Do not ask a tailor to understate value, describe a purchase as a gift or split documentation to create a false customs picture.