The ongoing trade negotiations between the US and China have impacts over the majority of packaging products imported from China. Find the current tariff rate for packaging products using our import duty tool.
October 2019
An increase from the 25% tariffs implemented on May 10, 2019 to 30% has been delayed several times, and was suspended on October 11th. This tariff increase would affect the majority of packaging products shipped from China, including plastic bags, cotton bags and corrugated boxes.
August 30, 2019
The previously announced tariffs scheduled for September 1, 2019 have been increased from 10% to 15%. The affected categories available through Lumi fall under HTS categories 4901 and 4902 which covers publications (magazines, newspapers, booklets, books). These products have strong coverage across the Lumi Network, if you need help moving production to navigate these tariffs please reach out to your Lumi team.
August 19, 2019
A new 10% tariff is due to take effect on September 1, 2019. The list of affected products has been updated on August 13th by the USTR. As of this writing, the affected categories available through Lumi fall under HTS categories 4901 and 4902 which covers publications (magazines, newspapers, booklets, books).
May 10, 2019
The tariff increase of 25% has officially gone into effect today.
Products which were impacted by the 10% increase last year will be increased by an additional 15%, and new products impacted by the tariffs will increase by the full 25%.
Any products that are in production or in transit but have not passed through US customs will be affected. If you are a Lumi customer with current orders affected by the increased tariff rate you will see the tariff as a separate line item on your invoice.
Despite the 25% tariff, our market analysis indicates that the majority of plastic packaging is still more cost effective imported from China, however if you are interested in evaluating other options, request a quote.
December 4, 2018
With recent news of the tariff delays with China, we have delayed the 25% increase on China-sourced Lumi products until the increase goes into effect. Our prices now reflect the most recent tariff increase of 10% from September 2018. When it does, we'll update this post to reflect the change.
If you ordered at the previously increased tariff rate, how does this impact you? For products imported from China after November 1, 2018, Lumi will refund the 15% tariff difference after your products arrive in the U.S., assuming that the tariff increase doesn’t go into effect before then.
November 1, 2018
Over the past several months, you’ve probably heard the news about increasing tariffs on Chinese goods. Since August, nearly 6,000 line items in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) were hit with a 25% tariff increase, going into effect on January 1, 2019.
In the third round of tariffs on September 24, 2018, nearly every type of packaging and packaging material made the list.
How the tariffs will impact Lumi pricing
Starting today, we will increase baseline pricing by 25% for the following products to account for the increase in tariffs. This tariff increase will only affect items in your Dashboard if they are made in China.
- Poly Mailers
- Poly Bubble Mailers
- Paper Bubble Mailers
- Laminated Pouches
- Tote Bags
- Twisted-Handle Shopping Bags
- Garment Bags
- Kraft Mailers
- Any other custom-sourced packaging items from China
Why are we applying the tariff increase today if it takes effect on January 1st? With current lead times for manufacturing and sea freight from China, products ordered today will be affected by the tariff increase by the time they enter the US. You can stay on top of the current supply chain status by viewing the Delivery Schedule.
Historically, we have sourced the majority of our flexible plastic packaging (poly mailers, poly bags, laminated pouches) from China because of their highly competitive pricing, matched with their high standards for construction and print quality. We’re working with our manufacturing partners in mainland China to mitigate the U.S. tariffs as much as possible and provide geographic alternatives when we can.
As always, we’ll keep you updated on any price fluctuations and the drivers behind them.
For an inside scoop on the US-China trade war, and its impact on supply chains, listen to our conversation with Erica Phillips, supply chain and logistics reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
