Erik, Author at Lieberman PLLC

Duty-Free Mail Is Over: Inside CBP’s New Postal Informal Entry Process

By Erik | July 20, 2026

A photorealistic editorial-style image depicting a busy international mail processing facility, with rows of cardboard parcels and shipping boxes on conveyor belts under industrial lighting. In the foreground, a customs officer in a navy uniform reviews paperwork and scans barcodes on packages, while a digital screen in the background displays tariff classification codes and duty calculation data. The atmosphere is bureaucratic and procedural, with stacks of parcels bearing international shipping labels from various countries. Subtle visual elements suggest a shift in policy — a stamped "DUTY REQUIRED" mark visible on a package label, official government documents beside a laptop showing a customs portal interface. The overall mood is serious and transitional, conveying the end of an era of frictionless low-value imports. Cinematic depth of field, cool fluorescent lighting mixed with warm accent tones, high-detail commercial photography aesthetic.

The duty-free era for low-value international mail shipments has ended. Starting July 24, 2026, CBP’s new postal informal entry process requires shipment-level classification, valuation, bonding, and monthly duty payments for mail valued at $800 or less. With full statutory repeal of de minimis coming July 1, 2027, importers, brokers, and e-commerce platforms must act now to ensure compliance.

Who is responsible for tariff classification? What importers need to know about customs powers of attorney.

By Erik | July 18, 2026

A professional editorial-style photograph of a businessperson in a formal suit sitting at a large wooden desk, carefully reviewing complex legal and customs documents spread across the surface, with a Harmonized Tariff Schedule binder open prominently in the foreground. The desk also holds a signed power of attorney document, a customs entry form, and a pen. The setting is a polished law office with bookshelves filled with legal volumes in the background. Soft, professional lighting creates a serious and authoritative atmosphere. The scene conveys legal responsibility, international trade compliance, and the weight of regulatory obligations. Photorealistic, high detail, editorial tone, warm neutral color palette.

Many importers assume their customs broker handles tariff classification, but that assumption is legally wrong. Under the Customs Modernization Act, the importer of record bears non-delegable responsibility for accurate HTS classification. A power of attorney authorizes a broker to act on your behalf — it does not transfer liability. Understanding this distinction, and when to involve customs counsel, is essential.

The IEEPA Tariff Refund Window Is Already Closing — Even for Protests – File ASAP

By Erik | June 30, 2026

A dramatic close-up of a large ornate courthouse clock with its hands approaching midnight, cast in sharp shadows, set against a background of stacked customs import documents, shipping manifests, and cargo containers visible through a blurred courthouse window. The atmosphere is tense and urgent, rendered in a dark, editorial photorealistic style with cool blue and amber tones, conveying the weight of an expiring legal deadline in international trade law.

When the Supreme Court held in February 2026 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs, the headlines focused on a single, simple takeaway: importers who paid IEEPA duties may be entitled to refunds. That is true. What the headlines largely missed is the calendar problem sitting…