What changed, and when
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| May 2, 2025 | Goods from China and Hong Kong lose duty-free de minimis entry, the old rule that let parcels under $800 in without duty. |
| Aug 29, 2025 | Duty-free de minimis is suspended for every country. CBP begins rejecting de minimis entries for ineligible shipments. |
| Feb 20, 2026 | The suspension is continued by presidential action. |
| July 1, 2027 | De minimis for commercial shipments ends in law, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. |
The short version: there's no longer a small-parcel loophole, and the law makes that permanent for business shipments from mid-2027.
What to add to an overseas quote
| Cost or delay | Overseas order | US-made order |
|---|---|---|
| Import duty | Owed on every commercial parcel; the rate depends on the product and where it was made | None |
| Customs fees | Carriers often add brokerage or processing charges | None |
| Shipping | International express, or slower postal service | Ground free over $99 with us; UPS and USPS options |
| Time | International transit plus customs clearance | Domestic transit only |
| A part that needs a reprint | Another international round trip | Reprinted and shipped domestically |
Some overseas services now publish their own tariff notices for US buyers. China-based JLC3DP, for example, cut its additional tariff rate for US orders from 20% to 10% on November 11, 2025. Check the current notice before you compare prices.
The gap is smaller than it looks
In All3DP's June 2026 test of ten online SLS services, the cheapest single Nylon 12 part came from Shapeways, printed in the Netherlands, at $45.28. The cheapest US-made option, JawsTec, was $46.46. That $1.18 difference is before shipping, duties and customs fees, which now apply to the imported part and not to the domestic one.
Overseas per-gram material prices can still look very low. JLC3DP lists its SLS nylon at $0.18 per gram, for instance. That works best when you order many parts at once, so shipping and fees spread across the batch, and when you can wait.
When overseas still makes sense
- Hundreds or thousands of identical parts, where unit price matters more than days.
- Materials or processes no domestic service offers.
- Timelines measured in weeks, not days.
When US-made wins
- One to a hundred parts, especially prototypes that go through several revisions.
- Deadlines: a competition, a launch, a line that's down.
- Budgets that need a firm landed price at checkout, with no duty bill later.
That's the gap Layership is built for: Nylon 12 parts from $5, standard orders shipping in 3 business days, resin in 2, free ground shipping over $99, and no customs step at all.