Shipping from India to the US: customs duty and the 10% Section 301 tariff (2026)
For Indian sellers on Etsy, Amazon or their own shop, every order to a US buyer now pays US duty, whatever its value. Most Indian-made goods pay the normal US duty for the product plus an extra 10%. Here is how it works, how much to expect for jewellery, shawls, clothing and incense, and how to build it into a US price, with an official source and date on every rule.
The rules in 60 seconds
The US $800 duty-free de minimis exemption has been suspended for commercial shipments from every country since 29 August 2025. Every shipment, whatever its value, now goes through customs entry and pays any applicable duty.
Since 24 July 2026, most goods of Indian origin pay an extra 10% Section 301 duty ON TOP OF the normal US (MFN) duty rate (HTSUS heading 9903.05.44: 'the duty provided in the applicable subheading + 10%'). It follows USTR's forced-labor investigations; products listed in Annex I and Annex II Part A of USTR's notice are excluded.
From 24 July 2026, postal shipments pay standard duty rates (including Section 232 and 301 duties). The earlier interim postal duty treatment ended. Free-trade-agreement preference can now be claimed on postal shipments if you supply the documentation.
Genuine person-to-person gifts worth US$100 or less are still duty-free. A business cannot declare a sale or promotional item as a gift.
How much US duty to expect
Estimates from our calculator for Indian-made goods, before any carrier fees. US duty is the normal (MFN) rate for the product plus the 10% Section 301 duty on goods of Indian origin. Use the link in each row to change the price, currency (INR is available), shipping or product.
| Product (made in India) | Example US code | US duty rate | Section 301 | Item price | Estimated US duty | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver jewellery (not chain by the metre) | 7113.11.50 | 5% | +10% | US$40.00 | US$6.00 | Open in calculator |
| Gold jewellery | 7113.19.50 | 5.5% | +10% | US$150.00 | US$23.25 | Open in calculator |
| Silk scarf or shawl (70%+ silk) | 6214.10.10 | 1.2% | +10% | US$30.00 | US$3.36 | Open in calculator |
| Wool shawl or scarf | 6214.20.00 | 6.7% | +10% | US$60.00 | US$10.02 | Open in calculator |
| Women's cotton dress (woven) | 6204.42.30 | 8.4% | +10% | US$45.00 | US$8.28 | Open in calculator |
| Cotton T-shirt (knitted) | 6109.10.00 | 16.5% | +10% | US$20.00 | US$5.30 | Open in calculator |
| Incense sticks (agarbatti) | 3307.41.00 | 2.4% | +10% | US$12.00 | US$1.49 | Open in calculator |
| Printed books | 4901.99.00 | 0% | Exempt (informational materials) | US$15.00 | US$0.00 | Open in calculator |
US codes and rates from the official US tariff (U.S. International Trade Commission, checked 24 Oct 2026) and USTR's Section 301 notice (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative). Codes are shown at 8 digits: your declaration needs the full 10-digit code, and your exact product may sit under a different code with a different rate (for example hand-loomed or embroidered textiles, or gold rope chains). Check yours in our HS code lookup links.
Sample US general (MFN) duty rates in the 2026 HTS (Revision 21): silver jewellery 7113.11.50 5%; gold and other precious-metal jewellery 7113.19.50 5.5%; silk scarves and shawls (70% or more silk) 6214.10.10 1.2%; wool shawls 6214.20.00 6.7%; agarbatti (incense sticks) 3307.41.00 2.4%; women's woven cotton dresses 6204.42.30 8.4%; cotton bed sheets and pillowcases, not napped, 6302.21.50 20.9%. The Section 301 duty is added to these rates.
Section 301 exemptions include informational materials (publications, artworks, photographs, recordings), goods already subject to Section 232 tariffs (steel, aluminium, copper, autos, wood products, semiconductors), civil aircraft, some pharmaceuticals, and specific tariff lines listed in Annex I. Check your HTS code against the annex.
Section 232 sector tariffs apply in addition, e.g. 15–50% on steel/aluminium/copper goods (by metal content tiers since 6 April 2026), 25% on certain upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities (scheduled to rise on 1 January 2027).
This guide treats US duty as a percentage of the goods' value, excluding international shipping. That is a simplification of US customs valuation; complex cases differ.
Sending by India Post or by courier
CBP's interim final rule (published 24 June 2026) indefinitely suspends de minimis for international mail and created a postal informal entry process for mail shipments up to US$2,500, effective 24 July 2026.
Postal parcels to the US must have duties prepaid (Postal Delivered Duty Paid, PDDP). In practice, sending by post with the buyer paying duty on delivery (DDU) is generally not available.
India Post resumed all international mail services to the US on 15 October 2025 with a Delivery Duty Paid system: US duty is collected from the sender at booking in India and remitted to CBP through approved parties. The flat duty method India Post described at the time was replaced when standard US duties started applying to postal shipments on 24 July 2026; we could not open India Post's later instructions on an official site, so check the current requirements (10-digit HTS code, origin, value) with India Post before you book.
With a courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS, Aramex and others), you can usually choose who pays: you prepay the duty (DDP) or the buyer pays it, plus the courier's own clearance fee, on delivery. Ask your courier for its US clearance and DDP fees, and enter them in the calculator, because we only include fees we can cite.
Selling on Etsy to US buyers
Etsy: US-bound orders must use DDP shipping to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection. Etsy does not collect US tariffs itself; your carrier or DDP service does.
Etsy says US-bound packages need a 10-digit HTS code and EU-bound packages a 6-digit code. Without one, a package may be delayed or returned.
On Etsy labels, the customs declared value is filled in from the order total for the items (after discounts), without shipping or tax. Etsy pre-fills the customs description from your listing, but you are responsible for checking that every customs detail is accurate.
Etsy lets sellers outside the US set a separate US price on each listing (and per variation), and recommends it for global sellers who ship to the US, using its US estimated tariffs calculator to work out the tariff cost. If no US price is set, US buyers see your global price. US prices can be edited on up to 500 listings at once.
Etsy's 'US estimated tariffs calculator' (in Shop Manager, when editing a listing; powered by Zonos) estimates US duties and suggests HS codes so you can set a US price. Its estimates exclude carrier fees such as customs clearance, brokerage or admin costs, Etsy does not guarantee them, and it is not available for listings with price variations.
Checklist before you ship to the US
- Find the 10-digit US code for each product and the duty rate in the US tariff, then add 10% for Section 301 unless your product is exempt.
- Country of origin is where the item was made, not where you post it from. Goods made in another country pay that country's US rates.
- Use a specific description ("women's woven cotton dress", "silk stole, 100% silk", "sterling silver earrings"), not "gift" or "handicraft".
- Never mark a sale, replacement or freebie as a gift: only genuine personal gifts are exempt.
- Build the duty (plus any DDP or clearance fee your carrier charges) into a US-only price, or tell buyers clearly that they will pay it on delivery.
- Regulated goods (for example cosmetics, food, children's products) may need extra data for US agencies: see the coming change below.
Coming up
Mandatory electronic 'Entry Type 13' filing for postal goods that are subject to Section 201/232/301 duties (HTSUS Chapters 98/99) or regulated by a Partner Government Agency (FDA, CPSC, USDA etc.) was postponed from 22 October 2026 to 20 January 2027 (final rule published in the Federal Register on 22 October 2026). Until then the existing mail entry process continues. From 22 October 2026 CBP's optional Entry Type 13 test also accepts filings with or without complete electronic PGA data, for a temporary period.
US tariff rates have changed several times since 2025 and can change again, for example if a US–India trade deal is put into effect. We record every change in the change log. Also selling to the UK? See India to UK: duty, VAT and the UK–India trade deal. Buyer returned an order? See international returns and duty refunds.
This page is general information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Carriers' and Etsy's terms change; check their current pages. See the disclaimer.
Sources for this page
- Sending packages to the U.S. – duty updates, Canada Post. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Verified
- Shipping to the USA? – business updates (guide updated 6 Oct 2026), Royal Mail. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. Verified
- CBP modernizes low-value shipment processing (24 Jun 2026), U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- Notice of Actions in Section 301 Forced Labor Investigations (23 Jul 2026), Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Verified
- HTSUS heading 9903.05.44: Section 301 duty on products of India (2026 HTS Revision 21), U.S. International Trade Commission. Accessed 24 Oct 2026. Verified
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States: general (MFN) rates for the sample codes on this page (2026 HTS Revision 21), U.S. International Trade Commission. Accessed 24 Oct 2026. Verified
- Forced Labor, Meet Section 301 (law-firm analysis), Troutman Pepper Locke (secondary). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- Answers to common questions about U.S. tariffs, Trade Commissioner Service (Government of Canada). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Verified
- CSMS #69183472 – Updated Global Guidance for International Mail, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Verified
- Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process (Interim final rule, 24 Jun 2026), Federal Register / CBP. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- US-Versand / Postal DDP, Deutsche Post DHL. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- India to resume International Postal Services to the USA from 15 October 2025 (press release, 14 Oct 2025), Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Department of Posts). Accessed 24 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- Information for Managing International Shipments, Etsy Help. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. Verified
- Navigating Evolving Global Tariff Policies, Etsy Seller Handbook. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. Partly verified
- How to Add Domestic, Global, and US-Specific Pricing to Your Listings, Etsy Help. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. Verified
- How to Use Etsy's US Estimated Tariffs Calculator, Etsy Help. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. Verified
- Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process; Delayed Compliance Extension (Final rule, 91 FR, 22 Oct 2026, doc. 2026-21600), Federal Register / U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed 22 Oct 2026. Verified
- Modification of the Test of the New Electronic Informal Entry Process for Mail (General notice, 22 Oct 2026, doc. 2026-21570), Federal Register / U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed 22 Oct 2026. Verified
- International Mail Entry Type 13 mandatory implementation date extended to Jan. 20, 2027 (14 Oct 2026), U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed 22 Oct 2026. Verified