Your Dolls Never Looked Better

US Ends $800 De Minimis Rule: What It Means for UK-to-US Orders
UPDATE AUGUST 29, 2025:
​
From August 30, 2025 we will be resuming order for US customers. US customers will now see a tax line on their Checkout page before completing payment. This represents the Customs Charges /Import Tax according to the IEEPA Harmonized Tariff agreed as part of the UK-US Trade Deal.
​
Please note that orders might now take longer to arrive to their destination due to additional customs checks and processes which, due to the new regulations, now need to take place. All our orders are tracked end-to-end so please use the tracking number provided when your order ships to track as these additional delays are out of our control.
Please continue to check this page for updates as we will continue monitoring the situation and implement changes at short notice as and when needed.
​
​Original Communication August 23:
​
From August 29, 2025, a major change in US import rules will affect every parcel sent from the UK to American buyers. The US government is scrapping the de minimis threshold — a rule that currently allows goods valued at under $800 to enter the country without duties, taxes, or lengthy customs checks.
​
Under the old system, a small order from a UK shop — whether it was a £20 order or a £300 order— could usually arrive in the US quickly and without any extra costs beyond postage. This made buying from UK sellers easy and predictable for American customers.
​
Once the de minimis exemption is removed, all imported goods from the UK, regardless of value, will be treated as formal imports. This means that every shipment will need to go through full customs clearance, and most will attract import duty, state sales tax, and an administrative fee.
​
What will change for our US customers?
Firstly, starting today, we need to temporarily stop all our US shipping until the delivery services come up with solutions that can lift some of the admin challenges from sellers. We will post here when we will be resuming. So no orders to US until our postal/delivery services find a solution to implement these new changes.
For US customers, the most immediate impact will be cost. Let’s take a £20 order as an example. After August 29, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will calculate an import duty, apply state sales tax (which varies but is at least 4–7% in most states), and then add a handling fee charged by the delivery carrier.
​
Buyers will also notice changes in delivery times. Because each parcel must be processed individually by customs, clearance could add several days to delivery — especially if payment is required before release. Most postal services, such as USPS, will notify recipients when duty and tax are due, but they will not deliver the parcel until payment is made.
​
Why is this happening?
The US government has argued that the de minimis rule has been abused by overseas sellers to avoid import taxes, creating an uneven playing field for domestic businesses. Removing the threshold is intended to protect US manufacturers and retailers, and to ensure all imports are treated the same.
​
What can US customers do?
If you order from UK sellers after August 29, it’s important to:
-
Be aware of the total landed cost — be aware that there will be duty, taxes, and fees you’ll need to pay.
-
Be prepared for longer delivery times — especially with standard postal services.
​
Final thoughts
The change to US import rules doesn’t mean you can’t shop from your favourite UK stores — but it does mean you’ll need to budget for extra charges and a little more patience.
​
Be aware it is not the UK sellers increasing your costs and making more profit. It is the ending of the US de minimis rule by US government which has added this extra cost who are collecting the revenue.
New Regulations from 13th December 2024 regarding selling to the EU
Due to The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), that came into effect 13 December 2024, we are unable to sell to any EU countries as well as Northern Ireland for the time being.
​
EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
​
​
Our current business model, as a micro business, presents financial constraints that preclude establishing dedicated physical representation within each target EU member state. Furthermore, navigating the diverse and evolving regulatory landscape for product labeling and packaging across these markets poses a significant challenge.
​
We are also wary of engaging third-party agent services offered online. While these services propose to act as in-country representatives for a fee, we have encountered increasing reports of unscrupulous operators exploiting the demand for such representation, which raises serious concerns about the legitimacy and reliability of these providers.

Shipping details
We offer two delivery timeframes based on where you are in the World!

Domestic - United Kingdom
Approx. 3-5 business days

International - Rest of the World
Approx. 7-10 business days
