Cheap imports tsunami: Is it time the UK followed the US in scrapping de minimis, asks Parcelhero

Aug. 20, 2025 - PRLog -- Following President Trump's long-planned ending of duty-free de minimis packages from China into the USA, the UK has seen spiralling imports of low-value goods as Chinese retailers seek out new markets.

In the financial year ending April 2025, new HMRC data has revealed that the trade value of de minimis imports of £135 or less was £5.9bn – up 53% from the previous year. The reason for this boom in the import of cheap goods is easy to identify, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero.

Parcelhero's Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: 'Even before he took office, President Trump announced his intention of scrapping the US $800 (around £600) de minimis limit on all items arriving from China and Hong Kong. His first attempt ended in Customs chaos back in February, but he finally succeeded in his plan on 2 May. Long before then, however, many Chinese manufacturers and traders had seen the writing on the wall and were targeting other lucrative markets such as the UK.

'The result is that Britain has been engulfed in a tsunami of low-cost goods usually imported directly from Chinese sellers. The value of these imports rose from £3.9bn in 2023/4 to £5.9bn in 2024/5. Put simply, it can be claimed that £5.9bn has effectively been taken from the UK economy and the High Street's cash tills.

'America's unilateral ending of its de minimis threshold has destabilised the international market and may have made our own limit untenable. In particular, British clothing manufacturers and retailers are calling for a level playing field to prevent Chinese firms from flooding online marketplaces with low-cost items. They argue international marketplaces such as Shein and Temu currently have an unfair advantage. Just last week, Shein revealed that sales to UK shoppers had soared by a third last year to hit £2bn, pushing its profits up by 57% compared to 2023.

'The European Union (EU) has already announced its de minimis of €150 (around £130) is set to be withdrawn in 2028 and is debating a €2 blanket fee (or similar alternative) on every package arriving in the EU.

'Back in April, Chancellor Reeves announced that the UK Government would review the UK's low-value items exemption. In the light of ballooning de minimis imports, this review may need to be brought forward. UK retailers need to see an end to cheap de minimis imports and to further develop their own omnichannel approach, embracing both online and physical store sales. For more information on the pressures facing the High Street, read Parcelhero's influential report "2030: Death of the High Street" at: https://www.parcelhero.com/content/downloads/pdfs/high-street/deathofthehighstreetreport.pdf