As of this month, it will be a lot harder for authors to send signed copies of their books or bookish materials to the U.S. due to the end of “de minimus” exemptions.
To help people understand a bit of the enormous impact of this change in U.S. economic policy, I’ve put together a little Q & A.
What is the “de minimus” exemptions and why does it matter?
The “de minimus” exemption meant that goods valued under $800 USD entering the United States from anywhere in the world were exempt from tariffs and duties.
As of August 29 of this year, that exemption was lifted. Any item under $800 USD being shipped to the U.S. can and will be charged duties and taxes, based on varying rates of tariffs levied against each country.
Unlike tariffs levied by the U.S. government—which are paid by American companies and passed on to consumers second-hand—the U.S. de minimus exemption applies to duties paid by the shipper.
Anyone sending materials to the U.S.—like a book, say—will now have to pay a hefty fee, which here in Canada is collected by Canada Post, or Fed Ex or whoever on behalf of the U.S. Government.
Wait—doesn’t the U.S. have a free trade agreement with Canada?
Yes. Canada and Mexico have signed the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), but some items that previously fell under the de minimus exemption will still be charged duties, at varying rates.
The books authors sign and send from Canada are gifts, aren’t they? Why would gifts be taxed?
Why, yes, they are gifts! I have sent freebies and other materials to U.S. readers (and bookstores) quite often in the past.
In theory, gifts (like a single book) should remain duty-free. Here’s where things actually stand: According CBC’s Jenna Benchetrit, “Canadians can still send letter mail and gifts under $100 US to the U.S. for no extra cost, and companies that meet the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)’s rules of origin will, in theory, still be able to ship duty-free.”
Still, the devil is in the details. Benchetrit relates that even supposedly free gifts need to prove they meet those opaque ‘rules of origin,’ (ie. how much of the item was made in North America) and “extra administrative costs for customs clearance — like brokerage fees for companies that have to prove their shipments are compliant.”
On social media, Canadian authors are reporting that their “freebies” are being charged more for shipping—which was already a cost that was being absorbed by authors (who don’t make a lot of $$ to begin with).
On the other hand, there are a growing list of countries where shipping has simply stopped. More on that below.
Can’t you send us ebooks instead?
In this respect, Indie authors have traditionally-published authors beat.
Personally, I am bound by contractual obligations with my publishers which state that I am not authorized to send out ebook copies of my works. Why, you may ask? Probably because of book piracy, which is an ongoing and huge problem with ebooks. (More on that next month).
On the other hand, when I receive copies of my physical books, either author copies sent to me by the press or copies I buy with an author’s discount, these belong to me, so I’m able to send these out as gifts. (Besides, isn’t it nice to get a physical book signed by an author?)
Going forward, this sad state of affairs may actually impact authors’ decisions on whether to continue on in traditional publishing or move towards independent publishing. (Hint: one of those authors is me).
Here’s why: authors with traditional publishing deals are still expected to successfully market their works (alongside the press). But under the current regime, that’s kind of like asking them to juggle with their arms tied behind their backs while balancing on a ball. And all at a discount, too: through royalties, traditionally-published authors receive approximately 10% to 30% of the cover price of each book sold, which then is shared with their agents.
This sounds big.
This is big. And the impact of this economic policy is being felt like a global earthquake. According to a September 7 article by Chandelis Duster (NPR), postal traffic to the U.S. has fallen off a cliff, dropping by more than 80%. Many countries have simply stopped shipping items to the U.S. altogether.
The United Nation’s Universal Postal Union reports, “At least 88 postal operators have suspended some or all services to the United States until there is a solution.”
Breaking this down, some of the countries no longer shipping to the U.S. (except under specific conditions) include Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Austria, Japan and Australia.
In fact, even some Canadian shippers have paused shipping to the U.S., and huge sites like Etsy no longer allow shipments to U.S. customers via Canada Post.
This mess is due to the fact that most postal outlets worldwide did not have the time to develop the systems necessary to collect duties and taxes at the varying (dizzying) rates on behalf of the U.S. government.
(Besides, why should they? It wasn’t their job to collect taxes for the U.S. gov’t in the past…).
How do I support authors?
Keep doing what you’re doing, you awesome rays of sunshine! Buy books, read books, and review books. Oh — and stay connected with authors via newsletters like this one!
Be patient with us. Authors are doing what they can to minimize the impact on their readers, but changes may be necessary. And of course, in the current dumpster fire timeline, instead of writing books, we’re writing long articles on economic policy.
Sources:
Jenna Benchetrit. “Small businesses that relied on duty-free U.S. shipping wonder if they can survive without it.” 29 Aug. 2025.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/de-minimis-u-s-canada-ending-1.7618234
Chandelis Duster. “Postal traffic to U.S. drops over 80% after trade exemption rule ends, U.N. agency says.” 7 Sept. 2025.
Reuters. “Global postal services suspend some U.S. shipments as de minimis exemption ends.” 29 Aug. 2025.
Image poster: made by me.
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