The following summarizes a 27 March 2013 article published in the American Shipper.
Individuals and companies would be spared from filing customs documents and paying import duties and fees for more of their shipments under House and Senate proposals that would raise the threshold for such requirements from $200 to $800.
Goods at or below $200 value brought from overseas by a U.S. citizen or commercially shipped are not subject to duties or formal customs procedures.
This would reduce the administrative cost of collecting duties on low-value shipments, which may outweigh the potential revenue, and customs authorities can focus their resources on high-value shipments.
The Senate bill also urges the U.S. Trade Representative to encourage other countries to establish similar de minimis thresholds.
This article is available in its entirety at: http://www.americanshipper.com/Main/News/Lawmakers_seek_to_raise_de_minimis_53358.aspx (subscription is required).