US law, customs & buying rights
Duty, After the Floor Went
A $200 pair of studs and a $9,000 ring are now the same kind of event at the American border: an import. Here is what happens to the parcel, and what the invoice on your doorstep is made of.
Written by the Mapple Gems workshop, Surat ยท Updated 2 September 2026
Short answer
Since 29 August 2025 there is no duty-free value floor on imports into the United States, and CBP made the suspension indefinite by regulation on 24 June 2026. Jewelry falls under Chapter 71 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and the rate depends on classification, not on a single jewelry figure. Shipments up to $2,500 normally clear as informal entries; above that a formal entry applies. You are the importer of record, and the carrier's brokerage fee is separate from the duty.
Two things are worth separating before anything else, because most of the confusion in this area comes from running them together. Duty is a tax levied by the United States government on imported goods. Brokerage is a fee charged by whoever files the paperwork on your behalf, usually the courier. They arrive on the same invoice and they are not the same thing.
What changed, precisely
Section 321 of the Tariff Act allowed a shipment valued at $800 or less to enter the United States free of duty and with minimal formality. On 29 August 2025 that exemption was suspended for all countries by executive order. On 24 June 2026, US Customs and Border Protection published two interim final rules moving the suspension into regulation on an indefinite basis โ one covering the international postal network, one covering every other mode of transport โ together with a new postal informal entry process.
The practical effect is simple to state and awkward to live with. There is no longer any value below which a parcel arrives in America without a customs event.
What now happens to a jewelry parcel
| Stage | What decides it | The number |
|---|---|---|
| Duty-free threshold | Suspended indefinitely by CBP regulation | $0 (was $800) |
| Entry type | Shipment value | Informal up to $2,500; formal above |
| Classification | What the item is and what it is made of | HTS Chapter 71 โ heading 7113 for jewelry of precious metal |
| Dutiable value | Transaction value of the goods | Price paid โ the US generally excludes international freight |
| Who owes it | Importer of record | You, unless the seller quoted delivered-duty-paid |
| Processing fee | CBP merchandise processing fee | Flat on informal entries; ad valorem with a floor and cap on formal โ adjusted annually |
| Brokerage | Your carrier, not the government | A disbursement or advancement fee, typically a small flat charge or a percentage of duty advanced |
Why we will not print a rate
Every article that gives you a single percentage for โjewelry dutyโ is telling you something that is either out of date or was never true. Three reasons.
Classification decides the rate, and classification is granular. Chapter 71 separates articles of precious metal from articles of base metal clad with precious metal, and separates silver from other precious metals within that. A pair of gold studs, a silver chain and a loose stone are three different lines.
Additional programmes sit on top of the base rate. Country-specific tariff measures have changed more than once in the last twelve months and are not part of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule's ordinary column rates.
Country of origin is not the shipping address. Origin follows where the article was made or substantially transformed, which for our work is India regardless of where the stones were grown or the parcel was posted.
What you can do instead: ask the seller for the HTS subheading they will declare and the country of origin, then look that subheading up yourself on the official tariff schedule and check cbp.gov for any current additional measures. A seller who cannot give you a subheading has not thought about your side of the transaction.
From our bench in Surat
Since the exemption ended, the single most common request we receive from American customers is to write a lower figure on the customs declaration. We do not, and it is worth explaining why in terms of your interest rather than ours. The declaration is made in the importer's name โ yours. Understating it is a false statement to CBP attributed to you, and it caps any transit insurance claim at the declared figure, so a parcel lost in the air pays out at the fiction rather than the price.
The concession is that this genuinely made us more expensive to buy from, and we have no way to absorb it. A $600 order that simply arrived in 2024 now carries duty, a processing fee and a courier's brokerage charge. We quote our prices excluding duty because we cannot calculate your classification for you, and that means the number you see is not the number you pay. Anyone in our position who has not adjusted their pricing page since 2024 has not told you that yet.
What to ask before you order
- The HTS subheading the seller will declare, and the stated country of origin.
- Whether the price is delivered-duty-paid or duty-unpaid โ in those words.
- The declared value, which should equal the price you actually paid.
- Which carrier, because brokerage practice differs between couriers and the postal network.
- Whether the shipment will be above or below the $2,500 informal entry line.
- Who handles duty on a return or resize leg, and who pays it.
Keep reading
Buying jewelry in the USA: the complete guide
Frequently asked questions
Is there still an $800 duty-free limit for US imports?
No. The Section 321 de minimis exemption was suspended for all countries on 29 August 2025 and CBP made the suspension indefinite by interim final rule on 24 June 2026. There is no value below which a shipment enters the United States duty-free, so a $60 pendant and a $6,000 ring are both customs events.
How much duty will I pay on a ring shipped to the US?
It depends on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading the item is classified under within Chapter 71, on the country of origin, and on any additional tariff measures in force that week. There is no single jewelry rate, and any figure published in an article is a snapshot. Ask the seller for the subheading and check current CBP guidance before you order.
Is duty charged on the shipping cost too?
Generally not in the United States. American customs valuation is based on the transaction value of the goods and normally excludes international freight and insurance, which differs from most other countries, where duty is calculated on the landed cost including shipping. It is one of the few places the US system is more favourable.
What is the difference between an informal and a formal entry?
Value. Shipments up to $2,500 normally clear as informal entries with lighter paperwork and a flat processing fee. Above $2,500 a formal entry applies, which involves a customs bond and an ad valorem processing fee. Most single jewelry orders sit under the line; a multi-piece order can cross it.
Why is the courier charging me more than the duty?
Because part of the invoice is not duty. Couriers add a brokerage, disbursement or advancement fee for filing the entry and fronting the money to CBP, and that is their charge rather than the government's. It appears on the same bill, which is why small parcels can arrive with a fee that looks disproportionate to the tax itself.
Ask for the subheading before you order
We declare the price you paid, name India as the country of origin, and will tell you the classification we use. Everything is made to order in Surat.
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