CBP Proposes Electronic Entry and Bonds for Low-Value Shipments: A Leather Jacket Buyer's Brief
CBP proposed a rule on October 8, 2026 that would require low-value shipments to be entered electronically, on or before arrival, and would add a new electronic entry type for goods arriving by mail. For a Leather Jacket buyer it reaches everyday consignments: samples, small replenishment orders and any parcel valued at 2,500 US dollars or less.
The text is a notice of proposed rulemaking under docket USCBP-2026-0298, amending CBP rules on entry, bonding and mail importations. Comments close on December 7, 2026, and no effective date has been set.
What CBP Proposed on October 8, 2026
Four changes are connected in the proposed rule. Informal entries of merchandise valued at 2,500 US dollars or less would be filed electronically before or on arrival. A new electronic entry type would replace the postal informal entry process. Carriers would supply more data on mail shipments. And informal entries would carry a bond.
The backdrop is a channel already rewritten. The de minimis exemption, which once let shipments of 800 US dollars or less enter free of duty, has been suspended in CBP regulations since June 24, 2026, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act terminates it from July 1, 2027.
What Changes for Samples and Small Orders
For non-postal shipments the filing deadline would move forward. An informal entry would be filed upon or prior to the date of importation, replacing the current window of 15 calendar days after landing. A new data element, the Final Deliver-To Party, would be required when that party differs from the ultimate consignee.
A consignee that is not the owner or purchaser, such as a freight forwarder, a carrier or a foreign postal operator, would have to appoint a licensed customs broker as the importer of record for shipments valued at 2,500 US dollars or less.
Bonding is the third change. Every filer of an informal entry, postal or non-postal, would need a basic importation and entry bond, single transaction or continuous. CBP also proposes a minimum of 1,000 US dollars in liquidated damages for each breach of a listed bond condition.
One amendment widens the scope of informal entry. The 250 US dollar ceiling that bars merchandise valued between 251 and 2,500 US dollars and classified in Chapter 99, Subchapters III and IV of the tariff schedule from informal entry would be removed, so goods carrying measures such as Section 232 duties could use the same channel.
CBP could also require formal entry on a blanket basis, by importer of record, by manufacturer or by category, rather than case by case.
Why the Mail Channel Is Being Rebuilt
Mail shipments valued at 2,500 US dollars or less would move to a new Entry Type 13, an electronic informal mail entry replacing the paper-based process. It mirrors the non-postal filing and adds the identity and address of the shipper or sender.
Carriers would report the Universal Postal Union S-10 tracking number in the manifest, so CBP can match entry to article and confirm it was filed on time.
A missed deadline is severe. A mail article valued at 2,500 US dollars or less with no timely entry would be deemed abandoned 15 days after importation, after which the Postal Service could destroy or return it to the sender.
CBP's own figures explain the direction. Between September 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, CBP recorded 52,450,418 informal type 11 entries, of which only 73,534 were filed on paper. Over September 2025 to May 2026, only 67 percent of postal shipments moved through an entry process at all, leaving 33 percent likely shipped without duties paid.
In fiscal year 2024, postal de minimis shipments showed 277.8 seizures per million shipments, against 2.6 per million for formally entered goods and 15.8 per million for informal type 11 entries.
What a Leather Jacket Buyer Should Do Now
Prepare rather than re-plan. Confirm with your customs broker who will be the importer of record on sample shipments and small replenishment orders, and whether that party holds a basic importation and entry bond.
Then align the paperwork. The final deliver-to address should be accurate on each entry, and the tracking number a carrier reports should match the entry filing. Buyers who already file at entry will recognise the pattern, which sits alongside electronic filing at the U.S. border.
The import verification steps U.S. rules now require also apply to leather jacket shipments at any value.
Danke, the exporting brand of Dalian Danke Fashion Co., Ltd, produces leather jacket programmes for B2B buyers and follows U.S. entry and trade rules that affect landed cost and delivery timing. Buyers who need style data or a packing specification for an upcoming order can review the range of custom leather jackets at www.dankeleatherjacket.com or send the brief on WhatsApp +86 13234076432.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the de minimis exemption still available for low-value shipments?
No. CBP suspended the exemption in its regulations on June 24, 2026 through two interim final rules, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act terminates it from July 1, 2027. Low-value merchandise now moves through informal or formal entry.
Do leather jackets fall within the proposal published on October 8, 2026?
It is defined by value and mode of arrival, not by product type. Merchandise valued at 2,500 US dollars or less arriving other than by mail would be filed as an informal entry, and mail shipments would use the proposed Entry Type 13.
When would the new requirements take effect?
It is a notice of proposed rulemaking published on October 8, 2026. Comments must be received by December 7, 2026, and no effective date has been announced.
