Intro

This Friday, a big change is coming for the more than 4 million inexpensive packages that enter the US daily from abroad: President Donald Trump is ending the de minimis exemption, a loophole that has allowed cheap goods to pass through customs tariff-free for nearly 90 years.

It’s a blow to millions of online shoppers, small businesses on platforms like Etsy and postal services worldwide — many of which have already paused small-package shipments to the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Laura Curtis joins host Sarah Holder to break down the demise of de minimis: Why ending the carve-out for goods deemed too small to matter is actually a big deal for consumers — and what happens next. 

Read More: Mail Carriers Pause US Deliveries as Tariff Shift Sows Confusion

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