Trump Tariffs for the USA

For those of us residing in the USA: If you purchase anything from outside of the country, expect to pay tariffs.  

USA Trump Tariff Quick Reference:

• Volks Japan (via DHL):
• Dollfie Dreams Country of Origin (COO): Made in Japan = 15% tariff
• Listed as HS/HTS Code 9503.0000.90 (Toys, Dolls, Scale Models, Parts & Accessories) = 0% additional tariff

 

• Dollfie Dream Outfits COO: Made in China = 30% 20% tariff
• Listed as HS/HTS Code 9503.0000.90 = 0% additional tariff

 

1. Customs fee will be billed to you by DHL after shipment, but before delivery. 
2. Payment due within 5 days or item will be returned to sender.
3. Cost to you:  Tariff + DHL Fee + Regulatory Charge

15% tariff (Dolls) + 30% 20% tariff (Outfits) + $17 or 2% of duty amount (whichever is greater) + $1.31 $1.34 flat charge

• Volks Japan (via EMS):
  • Currently not available.  Japan Post has suspended package shipments to the USA (with only minor exceptions).

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Background Information: "De minimus"

Under Donald Trump's order, on the morning of August 29, 2025, the United States ended de minimus ($800 or less) treatment for packages from any country being shipped to the USA.  De minimus allowed shipments valued at $800 US or less to enter the United States duty-free, with a simplified customs process.  The reasoning behind it was that the tariffs for low value items wouldn't be worth the work required to collect the tariffs.  Initially this year, under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill that Congress passed, they sought to end de minimus on July 1, 2027.  However, on July 30, 2025, Trump abruptly decided to give just a 1-month warning and set August 29, 2025 as the new end date for de minimus entry.  

Legality of it all

Judges have ruled many of his reciprocal tariffs to be illegal, but they have allowed them to stand for now.  The issue will be heard by the US Supreme Court, starting on November 5, 2025. There is the possibility of refunds being issued for the tariffs paid (but not the processing fees) depending upon the Supreme Court's ruling.

Warning about Steel/Copper/Aluminum items:

Items listed under one of the HTS Steel, Copper, or Aluminum categories will be subject to a 50% tariff.  (Products from the UK have a 25% tariff for Steel and Aluminum). 

However, Aluminum products from Russia, or if the country of cast or smelt is unknown, it will be subject to a 200% tariff.  

Even if the shipper lists it under a different category, there is a risk that the shipping company or Customs Border Protection may reclassify the product, especially if they inspect your package.  So be cautious of ordering things like the metal Volks Doll Stands.  Even things like metal keychains can get classified as steel products.

Warning about Clocks & Watches:

Clocks and Watches require additional detailed information regarding their clock movements, casing, type of power, etc. with a breakdown of values per those parts.  So it's best to avoid clocks or watches with your shipments, as it'll hold up customs clearance until all of the required information is provided.

Mistakes in Duty Calculations by DHL

On occasion, people have been receiving Customs bills from DHL in the thousands of dollars range for items worth only a few hundred dollars or less.  This typically stems from the Japanese Yen amount being mistakenly used as US Dollars.  So a 10,000yen item (~$68 US) gets tariffed as if it were $10,000 US.

People have had more success in getting their bill corrected using the following DHL contact number: 866-638-7668

Another phone number you can try: (866) 637-7668 (DHL's Duty and Tax Department)      Not sure if one of these numbers was a typo or if both work.

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Information for shipments from other stores:

 

(Trump Tax) Reciprocal Tariff Rates:

• Made in Japan             15% tariff
• Made in (South) Korea 15% tariff
• Made in Vietnam         20% tariff
• Made in China     34% 30% 20% tariff  (Trump has threatened an additional 100% tariff starting Nov. 1, 2025; Trump TACO'd on that one; the 100% has been cancelled)

 

HS/HTS Tariffs

• For Japan only (as of Sept. 16, 2025, retroactive to Aug. 7, 2025): 
  • If an item has an additional MFN (Most-Favored Nation) HTS tariff of 15% or less, then only the Reciprocal Tariff of 15% will apply.
    • Will use subheading: 9903.02.73
  • If an item has an additional MFN HTS tariff of more than 15%, then only the MFN HTS tariff will apply.
    • Will use subheading: 9903.02.72
• Volks Japan lists Dollfie Dreams and outfits as HTS code:
  • 9503.0000.90 (Toys, Dolls, Dolls' Carriages, Puzzles, Scale Models, Tricycles, Scooters, Pedal Cars And Similar Wheeled Toys, Parts And Accessories Thereof, Others)
  • This has a 0% HTS category tariff
• Smart Doll posted that they were listing their dolls as HTS code: 
  • 9703.0000.00 (Original sculptures and statuary) 
  • This has a 0% HTS category tariff & Trump exempted this category from reciprocal tariffs. 
  • Unfortunately, this categorization doesn't exactly meet some of the main qualifications set by US Customs:
    • Not mass-produced or commercially replicated, except in strictly limited editions
    • Recognized as fine art by established art markets, museums, and scholarly institutions
  • Smart Doll likely isn't listing it as "Limited Edition" or who the artwork was made by, thereby not qualifying to be an original sculpture/artwork.
  • Danny Choo has reported that DHL has been reclassifying Smart Doll shipments as Toys, subject to the 15% reciprocal tariffs.

 

Processing fees:

• DHL: $17 minimum or 2% of duty amount (whichever is greater) + $1.31 $1.34 flat charge
• Fedex: Under $800: $4.50 or 2% of duty amount (whichever is greater) + $2.50 US clearance processing.  
•             Over $800: $14 or 2% of duty amount (whichever is greater) + $2.50 US clearance processing
• UPS: $14 or 2% of duty amount (whichever is greater) + $2.50 (starting Sep 8th)

 

• UPS (& likely DHL & FedEx): If the customs entry has more than 5 lines (5 different HTS codes), then they charge an extra $3 per line starting with the 6th line.   

 

How much will you pay (via courier, such as DHL, FedEx, UPS):

Expect to pay the Reciprocal Tariff + Any HTS Category Tariff + Excise Tax (usually not applicable to doll related items) + Courier Processing Fees

 

How much will you pay (via Postal Service, such as EMS, Airmail, Sea):

The Postal Service will be allowed to charge flat rates (per package) for the first 6 months

• Packages $800 or less, marked as Made in Japan or (South) Korea, will be subject to a flat $80 US tariff
• Packages $800 or less, marked as Made in Vietnam, will be subject to a flat $160 US tariff
• Packages $800 or less, marked as Made in China, will be subject to a flat $200 US tariff

What is different here is that the US wants the duty to be paid in advance by the shipper, as Customs & the US Postal Service are not equipped to handle such a large volume of tariff collections.  

Processing fees:

• Unknown; possibly $9; possibly charged to recipient

However, this is largely irrelevant right now, as countless countries have stopped shipping parcels via the Postal Service to the USA.  

 

Notes:

• From reports, it sounds like most packages that were shipped through a Postal Service by Sea before August 29, 2025, may still be allowed in under de minimus (duty-free).

I will try to update this as we get more info.  Corrections/additions welcome.

Edited November 13 by nanika
10/15 More info regarding metal products, clocks/watches, Trump threat of 100% more on China, 10/18 Updated Customs Regulatory Charge to $1.34 11/13 Updated reduction in tariffs on Chinese goods to 20%

Actual example of a US Trump Tariff for a DD shipped by DHL from Volks Japan.

 

• Dollfie Dream Sister Frieren 2.0: 75,000yen
• Shipping: 14,050yen
• Insurance fee: 150yen
• Total: 89,200yen

 

Entered US Customs on 9/3/2025

 

(I thought the tariffs were calculated based on the total cost: Item + Insurance + Shipping, but I can't figure out how they got a US value of $522.38 listed on the customs invoice. That equates to ~77,312yen, based on the approx. 148yen/USD exchange rate when it went through customs.)

 

HTS Code used: 9503000090 (Toys, Dolls, Dolls' Carriages, Puzzles, Scale Models, Tricycles, Scooters, Pedal Cars And Similar Wheeled Toys, Parts And Accessories Thereof, Others)

So no extra HTS tariffs or excise duties.

 

Volks Japan shipped her to the USA by DHL.

 

1. The customs duty invoice listed her as worth $522.38 US.
   Products made in Japan have Trump's Reciprocal Tariff at 15%, so $522.38 x .15 = $78.36 US
2. DHL charges a processing fee of $17 or 2% of the duty (whichever is higher)
   $522.38 x .02 = $10.45. $17 is higher, so the charge is $17.
3. DHL Regulatory Charges of $1.31 (flat fee)

 

Total bill from DHL: $96.67 US

1 hour ago, nanika said:

 

However, this is largely irrelevant right now, as most asian countries have stopped shipping parcels via the Postal Service to the USA.  

 

Actually, make that "a large chunk" of the Universal Postal Union's members:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/06/postal-traffic-us-plunges

Quote

Eighty-eight postal operators have told the UPU that they have suspended some or all postal service to the United States until a solution is implemented with regard to US-bound parcels valued at $800 or less, which had been the cutoff for imported goods to escape customs charges.

For reference, there are 192 countries in the world.

Effect (I've seen it described on myfigurecollection as a "self-embargo", more than 80% drop is HUGE):

Quote

“The global network saw postal traffic to the US come to a near-halt after the implementation of the new rules on Aug 29, 2025, which for the first time placed the burden of customs duty collection and remittance on transportation carriers or US Customs and Border Protection agency-approved qualified parties,” the UPU said in a statement.

The UPU said information exchanged among postal operators through its electronic network showed traffic from its 192 member countries – nearly all the world countries – had fallen 81% on 29 August, compared with a week earlier.

Edited September 9 by Kemonomimicry
fumbled the quotes

Adding a data point here. 

I bought two dollfie dream sister 2.0 bodies from Volks Japan sent with DHL.
The HTS code 9503000090 was used, but I was charged 30% duties instead of 15%.
My bill is $459.70 x 0.3 = $137.91 plus the $17 dollar processing fee and $1.31 regulatory charge for a total of $156.22.

I called DHL this morning only to be put on hold for nearly 40 minutes while they "looked into it". They confirmed on the phone that the charge was incorrect as Japan should have the 15% duty, then told me to email the duty disputes team (I had already emailed them before the call)...Hopefully they will be able to correct it to the 15%, but in the meantime my package is being held from being released.

Apparently this is what I get for being impatient and not wanting to wait for the sister 2.0 bodies to come out on the US site ^.^; It's probably silly, but I also emailed Volks USA asking if they can confirm that dollfie dream bodies are in fact made in Japan.

On 9/15/2025 at 1:35 PM, kurimu said:

Adding a data point here. 

I bought two dollfie dream sister 2.0 bodies from Volks Japan sent with DHL.
The HTS code 9503000090 was used, but I was charged 30% duties instead of 15%.
My bill is $459.70 x 0.3 = $137.91 plus the $17 dollar processing fee and $1.31 regulatory charge for a total of $156.22.

I called DHL this morning only to be put on hold for nearly 40 minutes while they "looked into it". They confirmed on the phone that the charge was incorrect as Japan should have the 15% duty, then told me to email the duty disputes team (I had already emailed them before the call)...Hopefully they will be able to correct it to the 15%, but in the meantime my package is being held from being released.

Apparently this is what I get for being impatient and not wanting to wait for the sister 2.0 bodies to come out on the US site ^.^; It's probably silly, but I also emailed Volks USA asking if they can confirm that dollfie dream bodies are in fact made in Japan.

Two updates - Volks USA did confirm dollfies/dollfie dreams are manufactured in Japan, and most clothing is manufactured in China.

I called DHL again today since I've gotten no response to my email to the duty disputes team from last week, and they said my package would be returned if I didn't pay the fees today, so I had to pay the incorrect 30% duty :/ It sounds like my money is probably gone forever... I don't know how they can be allowed to send the package back when they acknowledge the amount owed is wrong

I've been charged twice by UPS for the new tarrifs, once from Mercari and once from a doll from Korea. Honestly the fees seem almost random and they refused to give a breakdown of how they arrived at the number. 

 

It's possible you were charged the 15% on both dolls individually but then they accidentally used the total of both to calculate it.

1 hour ago, Cydril said:

I've been charged twice by UPS for the new tarrifs, once from Mercari and once from a doll from Korea. Honestly the fees seem almost random and they refused to give a breakdown of how they arrived at the number. 

 

It's possible you were charged the 15% on both dolls individually but then they accidentally used the total of both to calculate it.

That's true; there's nothing saying what calculations they used to get to a number...just "pay now". That certainly is a possibility! I didn't want to risk anything being sent back, so that's probably how they rope people into paying whatever they ask ^^;

5 hours ago, kurimu said:

That's true; there's nothing saying what calculations they used to get to a number...just "pay now". That certainly is a possibility! I didn't want to risk anything being sent back, so that's probably how they rope people into paying whatever they ask ^^;

I've read that the US government website that lists the tariffs wasn't updated properly, so it still shows the old tariffs which were higher.

Also, lots of reports of incorrect currency conversions, where yen was read as USD.

UPS seems to be swamped with international packages entering the US, so there's been reports of delays, and there was a temporary halt on 9/22 (for a few days) to package acceptance in Japan.  

Avoid having any food, edible items, cosmetics, etc. in your shipments, as these seem to now require FDA clearance, so if the proper forms are not submitted ahead of time, your entire package may get destroyed.  There are multiple reports of this happening (particularly with UPS) to customers in the US.  

I updated the top post about a week ago.  Thank you for everyone's contributions.  

Are you kidding me?? I wish these people would all turn into trout. 

I might also warn people about purchasing metal items from Japan.  There is a 50% tariff on Steel, Copper, and Aluminum products.  So if an item gets listed with a HTS code related to those metal categories, or if DHL/UPS/FedEx/Customs reclassifies it as a steel product, it'll be subject to the 50% Trump Tariff.  So be careful of things like the Volks metal doll stands.    Some people have even had to pay the 50% Trump Tariff on things like metal keychains 😓.

Just for the record: DHL's processing fee is similar to the processing fee they charge to European customers.

I post this because on other forums people are raging about the "dishonest", "undocumented" fee they are "charging only to Americans" (which simply ain't true).

7 hours ago, Kemonomimicry said:

the processing fee they charge to European customers

There is a small caveat to this, if you have the ability to self declare shipments like we can in finland you get to do that without any extra service charges.

But the time window of having it done is pretty strict these days (I think it used to be seven days before and my latest was three days from arrival before they start charging for storage -- versus the 21 days it is for normal EMS/postal service time limits)

3 hours ago, finnleo said:

There is a small caveat to this, if you have the ability to self declare shipments like we can in finland you get to do that without any extra service charges.

But the time window of having it done is pretty strict these days (I think it used to be seven days before and my latest was three days from arrival before they start charging for storage -- versus the 21 days it is for normal EMS/postal service time limits)

This makes me think that with Fedex you can set up your credit card for import taxes and tariff payments, so once the payment date for the invoice comes it is automatically deducted from your credit card, and that waives the processing fee. Since that fee is 15 Euros per shipment, it quickly ends up saving a lot of money if you receive many packages through Fedex.

I've heard of Canadians self-clearing packages through their Customs, but the process is a lot more complicated for the USA.  Unless it's a high-value shipment, it wouldn't be worth the time and effort for Americans.  It sounds like for US Customs & Border Protection, some of the requirements are: 

• Bill of Lading: This document is issued by the shipping company and serves as a receipt for the cargo.
• Commercial Invoice: This should detail the goods being imported, their value, and the terms of sale.
• Packing List: This outlines the contents of the shipment.
• Arrival Notice: Issued by the shipping line, indicating that your cargo has arrived.
• Have a Customs Bond
• You likely need to travel to the port of entry in person.
• If the shipment contains food, textiles, or other regulated items, you likely need to be licensed to do so.

2 hours ago, nanika said:

I've heard of Canadians self-clearing packages through their Customs, but the process is a lot more complicated for the USA.  Unless it's a high-value shipment, it wouldn't be worth the time and effort for Americans.  It sounds like for US Customs & Border Protection, some of the requirements are: 

• Bill of Lading: This document is issued by the shipping company and serves as a receipt for the cargo.
• Commercial Invoice: This should detail the goods being imported, their value, and the terms of sale.
• Packing List: This outlines the contents of the shipment.
• Arrival Notice: Issued by the shipping line, indicating that your cargo has arrived.
• Have a Customs Bond
• You likely need to travel to the port of entry in person.
• If the shipment contains food, textiles, or other regulated items, you likely need to be licensed to do so.

From what I've gathered, it reads more like they are intentionally throwing up hurdles in the form of excessive red tape.☹️ Apparently the big bottleneck at DHL USA is that all of the forms need to be manually filled in if a package contains certain items, which takes ages and throws their logistics process in disarray.

Edit: Looks like the reason is that the US government quietly introduced extra legislation that is being used to mark goods as "counterfeit" en masse even when things are legal, whenever there is anything that can be perceived as an error in the customs info. It's been mentioned in the MyFigureCollection thread (page 46), but I can't link to individual posts, so here's a Reddit post with comments describing the issue:

This is really disgusting.

Edited October 2 by Kemonomimicry

On 10/2/2025 at 8:38 AM, Kemonomimicry said:

excessive red tape

Its fairly traditional customs procedures, it was roughly the same here maybe 15 years ago, but the local customs office had to adopt remote declaration because the volume of stuff needing to be cleared was overwhelming the physical offices in places.

So I can only imagine the pandemonia if shipment volume has risen at the same rate, but a need to actually declare things is suddenly dropped into the mix, and the ability to go through it all is at a stone-age level.

The shipment seizure and possible destruction is a bit of a sticky situation... but by a quick glance that seems to only affect Play-Asia ?

Senders getting flagged onto a poop-list doesent really surprise me, if they do sell the occasional sketchy thing, and offer the ability to play around with shipment values on a systematic level.  Still sucks if someone wasnt aware of the possibility of this happening and wanted to be fully legit about everything.

Trump had another tantrum again.  He announced a 100% tariff on goods from China starting November 1, 2025.  

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/trump-threatens-china-new-tariffs-countermeasures-rcna236890

So that will hit Dollfie outfits, as Volks marks them as "Made in China".  Currently you will get hit with a 30% tariff, but unless Trump backs off on his announcement, it'll get a lot more painful next month --> 100%, or possibly 130% if the new tariff is a stacking tariff.  

 

Also beware of metal products.  Items under a HTS steel categorization are subject to a 50% tariff.  (From the UK is only 25%)  Aluminum is also subject to a 50% tariff, with UK products also being 25%.  However, for aluminum products from Russia or if the country of cast or smelt is unknown, it will be subject to a 200% tariff.  (Things like metal keychains can get classified as steel products.)

 

In other news, it's currently recommended to avoid shipping internationally via UPS.  They've had a huge backup of inbound international parcels, particularly at their Louisville, Kentucky hub, leading to packages getting marked as "destroyed".   Whether they're actually being destroyed is unknown, but there are definitely huge delays.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/trump-threatens-china-new-tariffs-countermeasures-rcna236890

Edited October 11 by nanika

I wonder who has to change this man-baby's diapers. Thank god I have a ton of magnets right now but I hope the order I'm about to place with a Chinese dealer will be ok. I am not giving up on this limited head I want because of him.

Somewhat good news.  It appears that effective Nov. 10, 2025, the tariff on goods made in China is going from 30% to 20%.  So Volks outfits should benefit from that.

 

I've been Peeved for the last couple+ Months or so over all of this Nastiness...

And Yet; i am Immensely Grateful that i've been able to Care for my DDS "Miyuki" Surprisingly Well

on account of both VOLKS US' Stock on hand,

as well as several Clothing Purchases dating Pre-Tariff-era that ended up being Too Big for my AZONE/OBITSU Girls...

yet turned out to be pretty much Perfectly Sized for the Dollfie Dream~

It Remains Heartbreaking that i've been Forced to Cancel Months worth of AmiAmi POs ongoing...

But the Gold at the End of the Rainbow has been that i have not only Entered into the world of the VOLKS Dollfie at long last...

but also have been taking care of a great many Domestic-Based desires and pursuits

that have been taking up my Back Burner for far, Far too Long~

Edited November 12 by Tasuke