What happens when you buy a shirt from Shein?
To customs, it is not simply “one shirt.” Its fabric, construction, wearer category, value, origin, and shipment data determine how it is declared and what charges or reviews may apply.
The four-step journey
Follow an online shirt from checkout through tariff classification, customs value, origin, entry, duty, and delivery.
- Seller creates shipment data
- Carrier presents the package
- Entry data and duties are processed
- CBP or another agency may review
What the broker checks
- Knit or woven? Fiber percentages matter.
- Who is the importer, and what value was paid?
- Is the origin marking and shipment data complete?
Why it matters
Low price does not mean no customs work. Duty-free de minimis treatment for most commercial shipments is currently suspended, so even a small parcel needs usable data and an appropriate entry process.
- HTS: The U.S. tariff classification assigned to the shirt.
- Origin: Where the shirt was substantially produced—not where it was mailed.
Official sources
- USITC — Harmonized Tariff Schedule
- 19 CFR Part 134 — Country-of-Origin Marking
- Federal Register — 2026 De Minimis Suspension
- Federal Register — 2026 Mail Entry Process