E-Commerce and DTC Logistics for US Importers

No. Section 321 is the CBP provision that allowed goods valued at $800 or less per person per day to enter the US duty-free and with reduced documentation. It applied to individual consumer shipments shipped directly from an overseas seller or warehouse to a US customer, which is the model used by platforms like Temu and Shein. That exemption has been suspended for all countries since August 29, 2025, and federal law ends it permanently on July 1, 2027, so those parcels now go through formal or informal entry and pay duty. It does not apply to commercial import shipments where a brand is bringing inventory into the US in bulk for domestic fulfillment. If your business model is importing ocean FCL or LCL shipments into a 3PL or FBA center, your goods enter under a formal or informal entry and pay full applicable duties. The Section 321 de minimis guide covers the suspension in more detail.

ISF (the Importer Security Filing CBP requires at least 24 hours before the cargo goes on board at the origin port) covers the shipment as a whole, not individual SKUs, so a mixed-SKU container files a single ISF that lists the six-digit HTS number of each product line. The complexity in mixed-SKU shipments comes at the entry stage, where each product line needs its own HTS classification, duty rate, and Section 301 status.

Most finished consumer goods from China carry Section 301 duties. Furniture, lighting, luggage and handbags, and most small electric appliances from China are on List 3 at 25 percent; apparel, footwear, home textiles, flat-panel TVs and much glassware are on List 4A at 7.5 percent; most toys are on neither list. Since July 24, 2026, a further 12.5 percent Section 301 duty also applies to products of China, listed or not, unless an annex exemption covers them. A small number of exclusions survive from the original lists, but most have lapsed. The highest combined duty exposure comes from products that carry both Section 301 and AD/CVD orders simultaneously, which occurs in categories like furniture, steel products, and solar panels.

Amazon FBA inbound compliance sits between the carrier and your operations team, and breakdowns happen when the container arrives without the right shipment plan, labeling, or pallet configuration. We build FBA inbound plans into the shipment sequence. That covers shipment plan creation coordinated with your Amazon account, FNSKU labeling at origin or at a prep center before delivery, and appointments booked to the correct FC based on the active inbound split. For accounts with multiple ASIN programs, we track FC assignments by shipment plan so containers do not arrive at the wrong building.

The chapters that cover the highest volume of DTC consumer goods are Chapter 61 and 62 (knit and woven apparel), Chapter 64 (footwear), Chapter 85 (electronics and accessories), Chapter 94 (furniture and home furnishings), Chapter 39 (plastics and plastic products), Chapter 63 (home textiles), and Chapter 95 (toys and sporting goods). Each tariff line carries its own base MFN duty rate and Section 301 exposure. HTS classification within these chapters can shift the duty rate significantly at the 10-digit level, so correct classification matters both for paying the right duty and for AD/CVD scope assessment.

Q4 is the highest-demand period for both ocean capacity and domestic delivery, and the brands that secure space in advance pay contracted rates while everyone else buys on the spot market. We begin Q4 planning in May, building container allocation against your forecast by lane and vessel string. The plan starts from your sales dates and sets the booking dates that put the stock in your 3PL or FBA warehouses before them. For accounts with predictable seasonality, we lock capacity commitments with carriers in the spring, which protects you from rate spikes and vessel rolling when August and September sailings fill up. Air freight backup capacity is also reserved in advance for the SKUs most likely to need expedited replenishment heading into November.

Ocean FCL from China to the US West Coast averages 14 to 18 transit days from Shanghai or Ningbo into Los Angeles or Long Beach, plus 5 to 7 days for origin booking and documentation, 2 to 4 days for customs clearance and drayage, and 1 to 2 days for 3PL or FBA receiving. Total planning window on the China West Coast lane runs 22 to 32 days under normal conditions. East Coast routing via Panama or Suez adds 10 to 14 transit days. Peak season from August through October can extend transit by 5 to 10 days due to vessel rolling and port congestion. Air freight from China runs 5 to 8 days depending on carrier and destination.