From 24 July 2026, changes to U.S. customs requirements will affect how duties are calculated and collected for postal shipments sent to the United States.
Duty Prepayment Threshold Increasing
From 24 July 2026, duties may be calculated and collected through your Zonos Verified Account for postal shipments with a value of up to USD $2,500.
Previously, this only applied to shipments valued at USD $800 or less.
For example, a shipment valued at USD $1,000 that does not currently require duties to be prepaid will do so once the new rules take effect.
Duty Calculations Are Changing
The temporary 10% global Section 122 tariff will end on 24 July 2026.
After this date, duties will be determined individually for each item using:
The product's 10-digit Harmonized System (HS) Code
Its Country of Origin (COO)
The applicable ad valorem duty rate (a percentage of the declared value)
Any additional product-specific tariffs
As a result, duty charges may differ between products within the same shipment.
A proposed replacement Section 301 tariff of 10% to 12.5%, depending on the Country of Origin, is expected to replace the expiring Section 122 tariff.
At this stage, these proposed rates have not been finalised and may change.
10-Digit HS Codes Are Mandatory
From 24 July 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will only accept 10-digit HS Codes for shipments sent from Australia.
To help merchants prepare, Australia Post will begin validating HS Codes from 17 July 2026.
If an HS Code is not exactly 10 digits long, SellerDash will receive an error from Australia Post and the shipping label cannot be created until the code is corrected.
⚠️ Important: SellerDash cannot determine or recommend the correct HS Code for your products. It is your responsibility to ensure each product has a valid 10-digit HS Code. If you're unsure, seek advice from the relevant customs authority or a customs broker.
This requirement also applies to shipments sent to all U.S. Overseas Territories.
What You Need to Do
Before shipping to the United States, check that:
Every product has a valid 10-digit HS Code.
The Country of Origin is correct for each product.
You've reviewed your expected duty costs using the Item Quoter in your Zonos Dashboard, if required.
No changes are required to your SellerDash workflow. Continue creating shipping labels as you normally would.
Duty collection will continue to be handled through your Zonos Verified Account.
For the latest information, keep an eye on emails from Zonos and check their website.
Additional guidance is also available from Australia Post and the Australian Government.