Under de minimis you are able to import shipments with a customs value below the equivalent of $800 void of any taxes, but that’s been scrapped completely since 2025. Even if I’ve purchased the following from Japan directly then importing that, does that alone avoid sales tax since it’s from another country outside the US:
- Zelda Switch 2 (日本語・国内専用): ¥62,980
- Zelda Pro Controller w/ Stand: ¥12,980
- Ocarina of Time Remake: ¥7,755
- HW Age of Imprisonment: ¥7,573
- Switch 2 Glass Screen Protector: ¥1,099
The total customs value of everything is ¥92,387 ($584) which is still below $800. Since the same stuff in the US would cost over $867.79 including sales tax. I would technically save $283.79 by importing rather than buying those from Game Stop, but de minimis is gone: would I still have to pay tax despite being from abroad?
Unless the seller purposely fluffs the export paperwork like a lot of Chinese vendors do, that sounds like a whole load of import tax coming your way. That said, you already acknowledged the murder of de minimis and the existence of import tax, so I’m not sure why you’re even asking. Don’t trust the links you found or hoping some shady individual in here will teach you the ancient technique for tax dodging?