Do Section 301 tariffs apply to China-origin goods shipped through another country?

Duties follow the country of origin, not the country of shipment. Routing China-origin goods through a third country does not change the 301 rate, and misdeclaring origin creates a much bigger problem than the duty itself.

Where do I look up the current Section 301 rate for my product?

Start with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule for your HS code, then check the USTR Federal Register notices for the tranche covering your product category. Your customs broker can confirm the current rate before you re-cost.

De minimis is over: what Shopify brands must change

Short answer: Low-value shipments that used to enter the US duty-free now face duties, which raises landed costs on small-parcel imports and changes the math on direct-from-China fulfillment. Brands need classified SKUs, updated landed-cost models, and a fulfillment rethink.

What de minimis was

Shipments valued at $800 or less could enter the US without duties, which made direct-to-consumer parcels from China cheap to land.
Many Shopify brands and their suppliers built fulfillment around this: small parcels, shipped individually, no duty line in the cost model.
That treatment has ended for the lanes that mattered most. The exemption is gone, and the duty applies.

What changes in the cost model

Every affected SKU now carries a duty cost. The rate depends on the HS classification and origin, so unclassified catalogs cannot even compute the impact.
Per-unit economics on low-priced items move the most: a $12 item with a meaningful duty rate is a different product than it was duty-free.
Update landed-cost calculations SKU by SKU before repricing, renegotiating, or absorbing. Guessing the blended impact gets expensive fast.

What changes in fulfillment

Bulk import plus domestic fulfillment can beat per-parcel duties once the exemption is gone: one classified entry instead of thousands of small ones.
Compare the all-in cost: bulk freight, warehousing, and pick-pack against per-parcel duty plus international postage.
Suppliers offering "DDP small parcel" are now pricing in the duty. Read those quotes carefully against the bulk alternative.

The adaptation checklist

Classify every imported SKU with a correct HS code and confirm country of origin.
Recompute landed cost per SKU with the applicable duty rate, and flag products whose margins no longer work.
Decide per product: reprice, reformulate the assortment, renegotiate with suppliers, or shift fulfillment.
Update checkout disclosure if you sell cross-border: customers should see duties and taxes before payment, not at the door.

Questions buyers ask

Does this affect shipments already in transit?

Timing rules depend on the specific regulatory change and the entry date. Confirm with your broker or carrier for goods currently moving.

Should small brands just absorb the duty?

Some do, on hero products where price consistency matters. But absorbing without measuring means not knowing which products are now loss-makers. Measure first, then decide.