**September UPDATE** U.S. Ends $800 Duty-Free Imports from Japan – New Tariff Rules 2025

Tariff Changes Coming for U.S. Customers (Effective August 29, 2025)

The Trump Administration has just announced that, from August 29, 2025, the U.S. government will end the long-standing $800 duty-free import rule for ALL countries, including Japan. For our U.S. customers, this means every order—no matter the value—will be subject to customs duties.

We resumed shipping to US via DHL and FedEx.

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**** US SHIPPING UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 17th 2025: ****

Shipping to US resumed!

We have reset the shipping cost structure for US as we cannot use Japan Post anymore. All items will be shipped via DHL or FedEx.

If you encounter any issue at the cart during check-out, email us (hello@goenne.com) We are still test-running the new setting, which is done manually.

How much is the US import duty / what is the tariff rate?

It is similar to sales tax added to your receipt in your State. (not you, OR and NH)

Tariff will be calculated by US Custom and collected by DHL or FedEx with a small processing fee.

We do not have full tariff rate information for all merchandize yet, but have been studying the invoices from US customers who shopped post-diminimus. We noticed a variation of rates for each merchandize, some are 3-6%, some are 10-15%, and some are even duty-free.

With different rates and fees, the total tariff invoice average out to be around a 7-15%. That's similar to sales tax in different US States.  The guideline provided by carriers is, expect a general 15% tax for the shipment from Japan. (though one customer's package was billed 7% tax only, and someone received it duty-free).

We hope to gather more data from US customers overtime to demystify this rate calculation further.

Shipping cost to US

We have set all new shipping cost for US to reflect this new logistics condition (DHL & FedEx only). DHL and FedEx has been very efficient with US Custom Clearance. Japan Post no longer provide parcel service to US.

Small light-weight and flat items (limit under 1 lb / 500g) can use a cheaper rate if they fit in a flat FedEx envelope. (socks, kintsugi spatulas, brushes, furoshiki wrap cloth etc..). Shipping fee is about $26. Remote location delivery may cost additional $23.

Next range of shipping fee varies according to the box size, starting at around $36-40 and up. Note that FedEx occasionally requires additional custom documents from receiver for especially for kintsugi supplies. We will be able to assist and guide you through the simple process as needed.

Feel free to email us before making purchase to double-check shipping fee if you have doubt. We will conduct a manual check for you.

What happen after my order is shipped?

Monitor your package status with the tracking number provided and watch for notification from DHL or FedEx.

Carrier will submit your package to the US Custom for review, based on total value of goods and tariff rate for the items, US Custom will calculate the tariff amount and carriers (DHL/FedEX) will issue you an invoice for payment. After payment is received, the packaged will then be released for delivery. Please consider sharing the invoice with us so we can use it to validate tariff rate for our merchandize.

If items are determined to be duty-free, no further action required. Keep tracking the delivery status from carrier's webpage.

With this additional payment process, expect an extra 1-2 days for Custom Clearance. FedEx and DHL has been very efficient in handling clearance processes. If the payment is not received by the due date, the parcel will be returned to Japan and we cannot refund any cost relating to shipping. Feel free to keep us in the communication when you receive notifications from the carriers so we can assist with custom documents as needed.

Tariff Relief Coupon Code $15 OFF!

We know recent tariff news and shipping changes have made shopping from Japan feel uncertain. But we’re here to say: it’s time to continue the journey.

For a limited time, enjoy $15 off orders of $100+ with code TARIFFRELIEF.

Your support keeps traditional Japanese crafts alive, and every order helps us write the next chapter together. Works for US and all other regions! In fact, we are very grateful for Canada, Europe and Australia supporters while we halted shipping to US for a short while.

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Aug 27th Announcement

Understanding the New Regulations

Starting August 29th, we will continue to ship with private couriers like DHL and FedEx. These companies will handle all customs clearance. Duties will be calculated based on the item's value and the U.S. tariff rate, as entered under a standardized global tax code. Duty and tax will be billed to the U.S. recipient by FedEx or DHL. After payment is cleared, the package will be delivered. It will be the recipient's responsibility to respond promptly to notifications and bills from the carriers.

Some may have noticed that we currently use Japan Post to ship lightweight, small, and low-value items such as paintbrushes and boxes of incense. However, under this new regulation, all shipments via the post office will incur a flat fee of $80 to $250 in import duty, regardless of the value of goods. This makes using post office shipping extremely uneconomical. And on August 27th, Japan Post office joined other countries and announced a halt in accepting parcel post service to US for commercial goods, including all retail sales. We will resume Post Office service in 2026 only when this rule is lifted.

Illustrative Import Duty Table

To help illustrate the import duty for U.S. customers, we have created a table (for reference only):

Example Goods	Before Aug 29th	After Aug 29th (via DHL/FedEx) example rate	After Aug 29th (via Japan Post)
Ceramic cup ($20)	Duty free	20% duty = +$4.00 → Total $24.00	+$80 flat fee → Total $100
Wood bento box ($80)	Duty free	20% duty = +$16 → Total $96	+$80 flat fee → Total $160
Art Paint ($20)	Duty free	32% duty = +$6.4 → Total $26.40	+$80 flat fee → Total $100

• Private courier rates shown are based on the current U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule duty rates for similar goods. Tax range could be between 0% to 50%.

• Disclaimer: These figures are rough estimates for illustrative purposes only. The final duty rate and amount will be verified and determined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the time of import.

  
  

What This Means for Us as a Small Business

We have no control over these regulations, but the impact is huge. As a small business working with handmade goods, we face several challenges:

• Inventory will not be restocked until the dust settles.

• We’ll likely keep a much smaller inventory—or none at all—for certain items.

• Products may require longer wait times when inventory is further limited.

• There will be a huge impact on sales of Japanese craft goods.

  
  

This is the reality for a small business trying to stay afloat when external changes dramatically affect shipping, pricing, and the flow of goods.

Our Immediate Recommendation

If you’ve been thinking about ordering something special, or for this year's holiday gifts, now is the time. Once the new fees begin, it will be harder to justify the cost of small, handcrafted imports. It is unfortunate that the U.S. government made such an announcement abruptly on July 31, giving businesses no time to prepare or strategize. Utilize the remaining weeks in August to do your shopping.

How You Can Help

We know there are many urgent causes in the world—from healthcare to education to public broadcasting—and we deeply respect those priorities. Supporting small businesses like ours may not be at the top of the list, but every purchase, share, and recommendation helps us keep going.

What Will Happen to Goenne Japan

In the coming weeks, we will reset some of the prices and shipping costs to tackle the new policy starting in September. This includes standardizing shipping with only private carriers. We will not inflate prices, but we will explore ways to help offset some of the import tax our customers will have to bear. We will also consider offering pre-paying duties as we know more details on tariff rates for different merchandize.

With many changes and an uncertain process, it may take us some time to find the right way to calibrate. Thank you for staying by our side.

A Note for Our Customers Outside the U.S.

If you’re in Oceania, Canada, Europe, or other countries, the import tax rules between Japan and your country remain unchanged.

Your continued support is more important than ever in helping small businesses like ours stay resilient. Every order, recommendation, and share makes a real difference in sustaining Japanese artisans and handmade traditions during this challenging transition.

We are working hard to survive this wave (fingers crossed), and hope you can continue to support us. Based on the track record, we think this situation may continue to change abruptly, and we will continue monitoring and making announcements on any updates.

UPDATE as of AUG 27th:

1. For the past few days, we have shipped out all the U.S. orders so customers can have duty-free purchases. As information from the U.S. has limited details on the process and assessment of tariff rates, we have no control over the release and delivery of the packages shipped during this past week. If you have placed orders, please kindly continue to monitor the customs clearance status with Japan Post, FedEx, and DHL using the tracking number we provided. If anything is unclear about customs clearance and delivery, the fastest way is to contact the carrier at your home country's branch directly. Of course, we will provide as much support from Japan as we can.

   
   

2. Following many Asian and European countries, Japan Post has announced the suspension of commercial parcel shipping service to the USA starting August 27th 2025. We have to update the shipping cost of our store to use only DHL and FedEx. For about one week, we will not accept orders from the U.S. while we recalibrate, and we will resume service for U.S. customers on September 2nd, 2025. Please check back for further updates. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

   
   

It will take a little time for the dust to settle. Please bear with us as we adapt to the evolving situation.

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NOTE OF CAUTION: Also be aware of phishing and scam emails posing as DHL or FedEx attempting to collect money from you. Do not click the links in suspicious emails or text messages. Always match your name and tracking number in the notifications. It is also more secure if you access DHL or FedEx websites directly and use your tracking number to check status.

Note: We also read that the U.S. is changing the Import Duty threshold on how much a traveler can carry into the U.S. from abroad. So if you are planning to travel in Japan and bring back goods, please check your local government Customs and Border page for the latest updates.

Tariff Relief Coupon Code

We know recent tariff news and shipping changes have made shopping from Japan feel uncertain. But we’re here to say: it’s time to continue the journey.

For a limited time, enjoy $15 off orders of $100+ with code TARIFFRELIEF.

Your support keeps traditional Japanese crafts alive, and every order helps us write the next chapter together. Works for US and all other regions! In fact, we are very grateful for Canada, Europe and Australia supporters while we halted shipping to US for a short while.

Comment below if you have any thoughts about these changes.