It is a dark time for anime fans. EMS shipping has been cut off, anime figures are trapped in distant warehouses, and everyone worries about the future of importing fun anime and ecchi products from Japan. Let’s (calmly) discuss the changes in anime import rules and the future of anime shipping from Japan in this blog post!
Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
Anime Import Rules Change! What New Anime Import Taxes Mean for Anime Fans
First, here’s what’s happening.
- Donald Trump signed an executive order ending de minimis, the rule that allowed packages under $800 from entering the US tax free. This was aimed at stopping Chinese retailers like Temu and Shein from flooding America with cheap products. Unfortunately, anime shops in Japan are getting caught up in the mess.
- Partially in protest, and partially because payment systems are not in place, Japan has joined 25 other countries in halting shipping parcels to the US while everything is sorted out.
- UPS and DHL are still operating normally. No one knows what delays or complications will come with delivering orders, including staff at these companies. J-List is currently shipping orders every day with no delays.
- Stupidly, the rule tries to target the “country of origin” of products, not where they were shipped from. While the majority of J-List’s products are made in Japan, figures are generally made in China.
The idea is that higher taxes could apply if your package from Japan is found to contain a figure that was made in China.Happily, this idea seems to have been discarded.
What’s the state of the anime industry in 2025? Read my thoughts in this post next!
Anime Shipping from Japan: Why Ending De Minimis for Incoming Packages This Way Is a Mistake
As an anime retailer, I’m obviously against ending the rule that allows Americans to order products from other countries without messing with import taxes and paperwork. But the way this is currently being implemented seems especially bad.
- Most people would probably agree that paying fair taxes is good for society. If anime figures need to be taxed, it should be done in a fair and non-punitive way.
- America doesn’t have a country-level VAT, but a patchwork of different state-level sales taxes. So a new import tax on everything from cheap camping gear from Temu to retro console games from Akihabara is especially frustrating.
- There’s no staff to handle all the paperwork involved. A quick Google tells me that there are around 100,000 public employees in Europe working in customs enforcement, but I’m sure this number is tiny in the US. Who will store the packages? How will the taxes be collected?
- The biggest problem is the timing. Since there are no systems in place to collect import taxes on millions of packages, the government should probably delay the new rules for six months to allow post offices and shipping companies to get ready.
It’s important to note that everything is up in the air. These rules could get modified at the last minute, which has happened before. Also, it’s quite likely that packages sent from Japan will show up on your doorstep with no taxes applied until things are figured out.
Most Countries Charge Import Duties. Why Not the US?
I love Europe, and have visited many countries with Mrs. J-List. It’s clear that Europe has different ideas about the roles of commerce and taxation than the US, which is perfectly fine. America has traditionally leaned toward keeping trade friction low to promote the purchase of goods and services. The de minimis rule reflected this philosophy: encouraging a vibrant consumer economy by sparing individuals from paperwork and frustrating fees.
But with these changes, the US is effectively adding a European-style VAT on Americans who import products from other countries. So anime and video game collectors, K-pop lovers, and owners of unique Japanese cars who need to order parts from Japan all have to pay a (likely randomly-administered) new tax.
If it’s a fair tax that doesn’t result in ridiculous delays, and if it doesn’t put all the import shops we love out of business and bring an end to anime shipping from Japan altogether, it’s not the end of the world. All we can do is hope for the best.
That Time Amazon Started Charging Sales Tax
Once upon a time, Amazon didn’t charge sales tax when you ordered products online, unless they happened to have offices in your state. While I was happy to order the latest MacBook Pro and avoid paying a few hundred dollars in California sales taxes, it also felt strange. Why should the computer shop down the street have a financial disadvantage that doesn’t apply to a huge online retailer? Since sales taxes fund schools and roads, this seemed like a big problem for society at large.
Then, in 2017, Amazon finally agreed to start collecting state and local taxes from all customers. I’m sure their sales dropped for a month while people adjusted to the slightly higher cost, then went back to normal.
This is how I hope things will go with the new changes to anime import rules: a period of adjustment, then we can all get back to enjoying our anime figures and sexy products from Japan.
J-List Isn’t Going Anywhere
The idea of paying new anime import taxes sucks for everyone, anime fans and retailers alike. For our part, J-List intends to be here for the long haul, as we get through these frustrating new changes. If you have special instructions for how you want your order shipped, the J-List staff will do our best to comply. Thanks for being an awesome J-List customer!
Thanks for reading this blog post about the changes to anime import taxes coming into the US. We’d love to hear from you about this topic. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
