The United States is the single largest export destination for Indian small businesses, freelancers, and individual shippers sending parcels internationally — from ecommerce orders and gift parcels to commercial samples and jewellery.
Shipping to the US changed meaningfully in 2025: the long-standing $800 "de minimis" duty-free allowance for low-value parcels was suspended for shipments from every country, not just China, and that suspension has been confirmed as continuing through 2026 with a further statutory end date of 1 July 2027 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In practice, this means every parcel entering the US today is subject to duty assessment and formal customs processing, regardless of its declared value — there is no more "under $800, no questions asked."
This hub covers what that actually means for a shipment from India to the USA: realistic costs, delivery times, the documents US customs will expect, and the items that are restricted or outright prohibited from entering the country by mail or courier.
Guides in this hub
Use the articles below for the specifics — shipping cost ranges, delivery time by service level, required documents, customs information under the current (post-de-minimis) rules, and the US import restrictions you need to check before you book a shipment.
For destination-agnostic basics (how courier charges work, what volumetric weight means), see the International Shipping hub.