We're minimizing the impact of U.S. tariffs

Starting May 2, 2025, U.S. customs will impose a 145% additional tariff on apparel from China and remove the $800 de minimis exemption for small parcels. While this policy shift raises import duties significantly on U.S. bound orders from Tapstitch's International Fulfillment centers, we're taking proactive steps to help.

 

What We're Doing:
Starting April 25, 2025, Tapstitch will begin pre-collecting a portion of the new import duties to ensure smoother customs clearance, faster delivery, and clear pricing.
To ease the impact on your business, we're introducing a subsidy model because we're committed to supporting you with practical solutions and cost-sharing efforts. This means only a portion of the actual duty will be pre-collected, based on your chosen shipping method.

 

✅ Special Line (Recommended):

A 20% duty will be added to the blank product cost.

Example: $10 blank T-shirt

Estimated Import Fee: $10 × 20% = $2.00

This means the landed cost per shirt increases by only $2.00.

 

⚠️ International Express (Not Recommended):

The shipping cost and import fees under this method can fluctuate significantly.

Please consider this option only for urgent orders where speed is the top priority.

 

New Tools to Help You Stay Profitable

1. Estimated Import Fee Preview

• When adding a product to your store with a U.S. shipping destination, the estimated import fee will be displayed.
• During checkout, “Import Fee” will be shown as a separate line item for full transparency.

2. Price Checker Tool

• View up-to-date product costs, retail prices, margins, and profits
• Batch-edit pricing and receive smart pricing suggestions

What You Can Do:

• Adjust your retail prices using our tools to maintain margins
• Choose Special Line to benefit from our temporary duty discount
• Monitor your import costs using our Import Fee Preview
• Subscribe to Tapstitch announcements to stay updated on policy changes

 

 

📄 FAQ

Q1: Why is Tapstitch pre-charging import duties?

To avoid customs delays and give you full cost visibility at checkout.

 

Q2: Will I still be charged by U.S. Customs if I pay Tapstitch's import fee?

No. Tapstitch handles the full customs clearance on your behalf.

 

Q3: Will the import duty rates continue to change?

Tapstitch may adjust the pre-charged duty rates based on major policy shifts. However, unless there are significant new changes, we plan to maintain the current rates for stability and predictability.

 

Q4: Can I avoid these import duties?

No, these are mandated by U.S. Customs. Choosing Special Line lowers the upfront burden.

 

Q5: How do I preview duties before placing an order?

Use our “Add to Store” function or “Price Checker” tool.

 

Q6: Can I include import duties in my retail pricing?

Yes. Tapstitch’s Price Checker tool helps you adjust prices to maintain healthy profit margins even after tax.

 

Q7: Will LA Fulfillment product pricing change?

Yes, the Domestic Service Fee will increase $0.8-$2 per piece. Product and shipping prices remain the same.

 

Q8: Will you add more SKUs to LA Fulfillment?

Not at the moment due to limited space, but we’re actively looking to expand our warehouse. We expect to launch more styles before the end of Q3.

 

Q9: Are other countries affected?

Currently, Tapstitch only pre-collects import duties for U.S. orders. For other countries, the recipient usually pays upon delivery.

 

Q10 Will this change how I manage refunds or returns?

There’s no change to our return or refund policy. However, import duties are non-refundable once the order has shipped.

 

 

If you have any questions or need custom assistance, please email us at info@tapstitch.com.