Every year, roughly a billion low-value packages enter the United States under a provision in U.S. customs law called de minimis — the rule that lets any shipment valued under $800 skip import duties entirely. It was designed for tourists bringing back souvenirs. It became the economic backbone of Shein, Temu, and a dozen other Chinese e-commerce platforms shipping direct to American consumers at razor-thin margins. Congress and the executive branch have been circling this exemption for years. Any legislative or executive action that closes, caps, or narrows it doesn't just change a tax line — it restructures an entire logistics supply chain overnight.