UPDATE 29/08/25: US shipping is now back! For more details about tariffs, click here.
Sad news: I’ve turned off US shipping in my shop. This is 100% due to tariffs, which apply to all orders from 29th August, when the de minimis exemption’s removed.
De Minimis Exemption
Currently, tariffs don’t apply to “small” orders under $800. However, on 29th August 2025, the de minimis exemption’s being removed, which means tariffs will be charged on every order I send to the USA.
How Much Will Tariffs Cost?
Currently it hasn’t been announced exactly how much tariffs will be and there isn’t much solid information.
The tariff rate for the UK is 10%, but from what I understand, there’s an additional percentage rate based on the product type. There may also be handling charges from the shipping company (not yet announced).
For the first 6 months, there’s a flat rate tariff of $80 – $200 per parcel, that shipping companies can use instead of percentage rates, while they’re getting their systems in order. At this point, USPS and other shipping companies haven’t confirmed if they’ll be using the percentage rate or the flat rate.
I don’t want you to get any unexpected charges. I send many parcels to the USA every week, so I can’t risk getting charged $80 for each one! Even if a parcel’s sent before 29th August, if it arrives at US customs after the 29th, tariffs will apply.
Possible Exemption for Books
The situation’s very unclear at the moment, but it seems like there may be an exemption for books, so there’s some hope at least, for my Japan guide books! I’ll keep you updated.
My shipping company’s working on a calculator for tariff rates, so hopefully I’ll have a better idea soon.
When Will US Shipping Resume?
I’m really hoping I can open my shop to the USA again soon. As always, I’ll do everything I can – I want my products to be available to everyone. Aside from that, US orders are 30% of my income, so this is bad news for me too.
It seems nuts that what’s happening in the US is affecting small businesses all around the world.
I’m seeing so many small businesses closing their shops to the USA. It’s such a shame that all their unique items won’t be available to people in the USA, making the world a little less colourful.
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Etsy
Cakes with Faces products are only available here, Amazon (US shipping is turned off for now) and Etsy. It’s not possible for me to exclude a country from shipping on Etsy, so I’ve set shipping rates much higher than usual to discourage anyone from ordering there. They will of course be set back to standard rates if/when I start shipping to the USA again.
