You may soon have to pay tariffs on older gear too, if it's shipped from outside the US. Photo: Abby Ferguson

The US' de minimis exemptions, which used to protect purchases under $800 from tariffs and duties, will be going away on August 29th, according to the White House. The policy change will have a massive impact on direct-to-consumer brands like AliExpress or Temu, but could also affect Americans shopping for photography gear or used cameras.

For example, say you were searching for a camera – say a PowerShot S120 – on eBay, and found one for $300 that ships from Japan. If you ordered it today and it arrived before August 29th, the price would be the price. You wouldn't have to pay anything on top of it.

However, if you bought that same camera after the de minimis exemptions go away, you'd then have to pay duties and tariffs on top of the purchase price. Yes, those recently announced tariffs even apply to used goods. It's also worth noting that the tariff you'd pay depends on where the good was originally made, not where it's shipping from; if you're buying a Chinese-made camera from Japan, you'll pay the 30% tariff that applies to Chinese exports, not the 15% one for Japanese goods.

The change could substantially increase the cost of buying vintage cameras in the US

This could substantially increase the cost of buying vintage cameras in the US, so if you've been hunting for something in particular, now may be the time to act. Of course, it won't make a difference on items over $800, as those wouldn't have been exempted anyway.

There is some nuance to exactly how much extra you'll be charged, as it's different depending on how your package is shipped. However, the upshot is that you'll be paying more than you would've on packages that came in before August 29th.

This change has been on the horizon for a while. Recent legislation passed in the US already mandated that the exemptions would end on July 1, 2027, and goods from China and Hong Kong haven't been exempt since early May. People buying new gear have also been dealing with prices inflated by tariffs for months, but now even used gear isn't necessarily a safe harbor.