How Much Are Customs Fees on Packages From Japan? (2026 US Guide)
Here’s the short answer up front: as of June 2026, most goods you import from Japan to the US owe a total duty of 15% of the item price, plus a carrier “disbursement” fee (roughly $14–$29 minimum with UPS, DHL, or FedEx on higher-value parcels) and a small merchandise processing fee. The old $800 duty-free allowance (de minimis) is suspended — even a $30 figure or a $50 manga haul is now dutiable.
Want your exact number instead of the rules? Our free calculator does the math for your order:
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Below is how each piece works, with links to the primary sources (executive orders, Federal Register, CBP, and Japan Post) — this is a research-based guide, not legal or customs advice.
The 15% Japan tariff: how it actually works
In 2025 the US and Japan concluded a trade framework, implemented by Executive Order 14345. The headline: products of Japan owe a total duty of 15%, applied retroactively to entries on or after August 7, 2025 (Federal Register 2025-17908).
The crucial detail is that the 15% is non-stacking. CBP’s guidance (CSMS #66242844) spells it out:
- If an item’s normal tariff (the MFN / HTSUS “Column 1” rate) is below 15%, an additional duty tops the total up to exactly 15% — never 15% on top of the normal rate.
- If the normal rate is already 15% or higher, the additional duty is zero. You pay only the normal rate.
In practice (as of June 2026 — always check the calculator, which we keep verified):
| What you’re buying | Normal MFN rate | Total duty you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Cameras & lenses | 0–2.9% | 15% |
| Trading cards (Pokémon, TCG) | 0% | 15% (exactly) |
| Anime figures, toys, Gunpla | 0% | 15% (exactly) |
| Cosmetics & skincare | 0% | 15% |
| Knit apparel (e.g. cotton tees) | ~16.5% | ~16.5% (no extra duty) |
| Denim & many woven garments | ~16.6% | ~16.6% (no extra duty) |
| Sneakers (textile upper) | ~20% | ~20% (no extra duty) |
| Books & manga | 0% | 0% — see below |
The pleasant surprise in that table: printed books and manga are duty-free. They have a 0% MFN rate and are exempt from the additional duties as “informational materials” under 50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3) (HTSUS 9903.01.31) — Congress carved publications out of the president’s tariff powers entirely.
One more thing people get wrong: duty is assessed on the price of the goods, not goods plus shipping. The US uses an FOB-style transaction value, so your ¥30,000 lens with ¥5,000 shipping is taxed on the ¥30,000.
The $800 duty-free rule is gone (and stayed gone)
Until mid-2025, the de minimis rule let shipments worth $800 or less enter the US duty-free. That’s why nobody used to think about customs when ordering from Japan.
The timeline of how it disappeared:
- July 30, 2025 — Executive Order 14324 suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries, effective August 29, 2025 (CBP fact sheet).
- February 20, 2026 — a follow-up executive order continued the suspension, effective February 24, 2026 (White House). From February 28, 2026 the postal channel also moved fully to ad valorem (percentage-of-value) duties.
So as of June 2026: there is no minimum. A $25 keychain owes duty in principle, the same 15% as a $2,500 lens. The two surviving exceptions are documents and bona fide gifts worth $100 or less sent through the post.
Could de minimis come back? The February 2026 order shows the policy direction is “suspended until further notice,” and pending litigation about the underlying tariff authority hasn’t changed what you pay at the door today. We track this in our data file and update the calculator the day anything changes.
What changed with Japan Post (April 2026) — and why your seller might refuse EMS
This is the part that confuses buyers the most right now.
When de minimis ended in August 2025, postal operators worldwide had no way to collect US duties, so Japan Post suspended most merchandise shipments to the US for about eight months. Sellers switched to DHL/FedEx/UPS or stopped shipping to the US altogether.
On April 14, 2026, Japan Post resumed accepting US-bound merchandise — but with a completely new procedure (official notice):
- The sender in Japan must prepay the US duties before mailing, using an app provided by a “Qualified Party” approved by CBP (currently Zonos is the one Japan Post points to).
- The app charges its own service fee on top of the duties.
- Documents and gifts valued at $100 or less can still be sent without the prepayment registration.
What this means for you as a buyer:
- Buying from a shop or proxy service: nothing to do at delivery — duties are prepaid on the Japan side and are typically passed through to you in the order total. No surprise bill at the door.
- Buying from a small individual seller (Mercari via proxy, auction sellers): some still refuse US postal shipping because the prepayment procedure is new and fiddly. That’s why listings say “courier only” for the US.
- Couriers (DHL/FedEx/UPS) work the old way: the carrier advances the duty to CBP and bills you, plus a disbursement fee (next section).
The fees on top of duty: carrier charges and the MPF
Duty is only part of the door price. Two more charges show up:
Carrier disbursement fees — when FedEx, UPS, or DHL pay the duty to CBP on your behalf, they charge for the favor (figures verified June 2026; sources: FedEx 2026 fee changes, UPS brokerage rates, DHL US customs services):
| Carrier | Disbursement fee |
|---|---|
| FedEx | 2% of the amount advanced; min $29 if the customs value exceeds $800 (no minimum at or below $800) |
| UPS | 3.5% of the amount advanced, min $14 (entry preparation fees can apply in addition) |
| DHL Express | 2% of the amount advanced, min $17 |
| Japan Post | none at delivery — duties prepaid via app by the sender (app service fee applies) |
Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) — a CBP user fee. For informal entries (customs value of $2,500 or less, which covers most hobby orders) it’s a flat $2.69 in FY2026; formal entries pay 0.3464% with a $33.58 minimum (CBP Dec. 25-10).
A worked example: $750 used camera via FedEx
Putting it all together for a $750 used camera body (yes, used items are taxed too, on the price you paid):
Duty: $750 × 15% = $112.50 (camera MFN < 15% → topped up to 15%)
MPF: informal entry = $2.69
FedEx fee: 2% × ($112.50+$2.69) = $2.30 (no $29 minimum, value ≤ $800)
─────────────────────────────────────────────
Duties & fees at the door = $117.49
Total landed cost (item incl.) = $867.49 + shippingSwap FedEx for UPS and the disbursement fee becomes max(3.5% × $115.19, $14) = $14.00 — the minimum bites on small orders. This is exactly the kind of comparison the calculator runs for any price, category, and carrier.
How to keep your costs down (legitimately)
- Books and manga ship duty-free — informational materials are exempt. A manga-only box owes nothing.
- Combine shipments: the carrier minimum fees ($14–$29) hurt proportionally more on many small parcels than on one consolidated parcel. Proxy services’ consolidation option does this for you.
- Mind the apparel exception: knitwear, denim, and sneakers were already above 15% before 2025 — the new tariff changed nothing for them. Don’t blame your proxy.
- Never ask a seller to undervalue the declaration. It’s customs fraud, packages get seized, and CBP checks marketplace prices.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any way to get the $800 duty-free treatment in 2026?
No. The suspension applies to all countries and both postal and courier channels. Only documents and gifts worth $100 or less (postal) remain duty-free.
Who collects the duty — Japan or the US?
The US (CBP). With couriers, the carrier advances it and bills you; with Japan Post, the sender prepays it through a CBP-approved app before mailing.
Do I pay state sales tax on top?
Import duty and sales/use tax are separate systems. CBP doesn’t collect state sales tax at the border for personal imports; whether use tax is owed depends on your state’s rules.
My package arrived with no bill at all. Was it a mistake?
If it came by Japan Post, the duty was prepaid by the sender — that’s the new normal. With couriers, the invoice sometimes arrives by mail or email weeks after delivery.
Where do these numbers come from?
Every rate in this article and the calculator is sourced from the Federal Register, CBP guidance, carrier fee schedules, and Japan Post’s official notices, and carries a “last verified” date — see the calculator’s source section.
Summary
- Most Japanese goods owe a total of 15% duty (non-stacking; apparel/footwear above 15% pay just their normal rate; books/manga pay 0%)
- The $800 de minimis is suspended — everything dutiable, any value (as of June 2026)
- Japan Post is back since April 2026 with sender-prepaid duties via app; couriers bill you a disbursement fee instead
- Add the MPF ($2.69 on most hobby-sized orders) and the carrier fee to get your real door price
Before you click buy, run your order through the US Import Cost Calculator — it shows the full math, not just the total.