Australia to USA Import Duties
The import duty rules between Australia and USA are changing.
We'll update this page as best we can.
Right now we think American customers should wait until September to make any Sluggers purchases to avoid a surprise tax bill.
American customers please note you WILL be charged an import duty at your end. We ship with Australia Post and we cannot pay the duty in advance or give you an idea of what that duty may be.
AUSTRALIA POST USA IMPORT PAGE IS HERE.
UPDATE AUGUST 18: USA may require the tax to be paid BEFORE the goods enter the country, so we would charge the 10% tax at our end plus the handling fee and then Australia Post will pass that on to USPS.
The de minimis threshold is the value under which imported goods can enter the US without duties or taxes. Previously packets valued at less than USD $800 were exempt from duties.
From 29 August 2025 the USA will remove the de minimis exemption for all low-value imports. That means any packet arriving on or after that date will be subject to import duties no matter where they were made.
This applies to shipments previously under USD $800 that would have previously been duty-free - like Sluggers.
Calculating your import duties
There is a great update about the new USA duties at the official White House site here.
AUGUST 18: Important to note that we’re unsure of what the duty may be during the introductory phase.
From The White House:
- For goods shipped through the international postal system, packages will instead be assessed duties according to one of the following methodologies:
- Ad valorem duty: A duty equal to the effective tariff rate imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that is applicable to the country of origin of the product. This duty shall be assessed on the value of each package.
- Specific duty: A duty ranging from $80 per item to $200 per item, depending on the effective IEEPA tariff rate applicable to the country of origin of the product. The specific duty methodology will be available for six months, after which all applicable shipments must comply with the ad valorem duty methodology.
The rate of the import tariff for Sluggers is currently 10% if you are charged ‘Ad Valorem”, but we aren’t sure if packages will be charged the minimum ‘specific duty’ during the six month introduction of the program.
Our advice - hold off on your Sluggers purchase until September .
Key things that affect import duties:
Item value: Sluggers will always use the full declared commercial value. It’s written on the CN22 Customs information that is part of the mailing label.
HTS code: This is the 10-digit code US Customs uses to classify products.
Country of manufacture / origin: Sluggers Swimwear, Footy Shorts and caps are made in Australia. Our underwear was made in China. These products will attract different duties.
Import duties focus on where a product is made, not just where it’s shipped from.
This is especially important for goods that are fully or partly manufactured in China and/or Hong Kong.
Even if the final assembly happens somewhere else, a product can still be treated as originating from China or Hong Kong if significant components come from these regions.
Our underwear will attract a much larger tax and we recommend American customers DO NOT PURCHASE Sluggers Underwear.
