Jumping Freight Tariff Radar · Watching the White House · Customs · EU

Tariffs keep moving — we watch how they hit you

Trump tariffs, CBAM, new refund rules… policy shifts by the day. Here we keep only the ones that touch your cargo

Every time a tariff changes, your landed cost moves with it. Rather than chasing the rate figures that jump around daily, the real question for a Taiwanese SME is — what does this actually mean for this shipment of mine? Jumping Freight watches the White House, Customs and the EU for you from the customs floor, and turns each policy shift into “here's how it hits you” and “here's what you can do now.”

What you can do now · Start by saving money

Start with money you can get back: the 2026 “tariff refund”

The biggest turn of 2026 isn't yet another new tariff — it's that some of the customs duty you've already paid can be claimed back. In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the previous round of “reciprocal tariffs” and “fentanyl tariffs” imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful; collection stopped on February 24, and on April 20 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened the refund filing system (CAPE, in the ACE portal) to process refunds of duty already paid. For Taiwanese businesses importing into the U.S. since 2025, this is a real but time-limited right.

What's refundable, what isn't (this is where most people get it wrong)

  • Refundable: the IEEPA “reciprocal tariffs” and “fentanyl tariffs,” on goods imported before collection stopped on February 24 and still within the filing window.
  • Not refundable: MFN (most-favored-nation) rates, and tariffs imposed under Sections 232, 301 and 122 — these fall outside this refund.

Who can file? Taiwanese exporters running DDP / both-ends customs-cleared should read this part closely

The filer is the U.S. importer of record (IOR) or its customs broker. What matters is your trade terms: if you ship on both-ends customs-cleared, duties & taxes prepaid / DDP (with U.S. duty prepaid from the Taiwan side), the refund should be claimed from the exporter's end; if it's DDU (the U.S. recipient pays the duty), the recipient files. In other words — if you're a Taiwanese business running DDP, this money very likely belongs back with you.

Timing is critical: each import entry has a filing window of roughly 180 days after liquidation; miss it and you forfeit the right. Once approved, refunds are paid on the statutory schedule (with interest). Actual eligibility, timeframes and amounts are subject to CBP notices and case-by-case determination.

Jumping Freight can help with your CAPE refund claim

Jumping Freight has its own registered entities in the U.S. — Brighten Freight (Los Angeles / San Francisco) and Smartlink (New York) — holding U.S. importer of record (IOR) status, exactly what CAPE / ACE refund filing requires. We can help you: identify which entries are refundable, gather the documentation, file the CAPE claim through the ACE system, and report back on progress. Refund timelines and amounts depend on CBP determination and the individual case — results aren't guaranteed. Send us your entry records for DDP imports into the U.S. since 2025, and we'll first work out how much you can get back.

Message us on LINE to check if you can claim a refund

However tariffs shift, stay calm: lock down these three things first

You can't control the rates, but how your landed cost is figured, whether your HS classification is correct, and whether your supply chain can shift — these three you can absolutely prepare in advance. Get the foundations solid, and no headline will throw off your rhythm.

1. Pin down your “landed cost” first

Plenty of businesses quote on product price alone, ignoring the true landed cost once customs duty, business tax, freight and miscellaneous fees are added in. The moment a tariff changes, that number moves. Calculate where you stand today with a tool first, so you know how much a new policy really costs you.

Run the numbers

Import Tariff Calculator

Enter the dutiable value and rate to see customs duty plus business tax combined at once — your landed-cost baseline.

Use the AI Tariff Calculator

2. Confirm your HS classification is correct

Customs duty is charged by HS code. Get the code wrong, and you can overpay, get your entry rejected, or even end up on the wrong rate when policy shifts. Right before a new policy lands is exactly the time to re-check your classification.

Look it up

AI HS Code Lookup

Enter a product description to get a likely HS code direction first, then have a customs specialist confirm it.

Open the HS code lookup

3. Assess whether relocating your supply chain is feasible

If a tariff makes one supply route no longer worth it, spreading production or warehousing to a third location (China+1) is one option — but it affects logistics cost, lead time and clearance complexity, all of which have to be counted in. Don't look only at how much duty you save.

Tariff Alerts Newsletter

When a tariff moves, your landed cost moves with it.

Jumping Freight watches tariff changes from the White House, Customs and the EU for you from the customs floor, and boils them down to what matters — plus a heads-up on duty you can reclaim and money you can save.

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Jumping Freight Tariff Alerts · Monthly radar@jumpingfreight.com

Three things this month: one refund you can claim, two new barriers

Three changes this month that touch your cargo directly — the headline first, the details a click away:

  • Apr 2026 · Refund

    U.S. Customs opens CAPE refund filing — you may have customs duty you already paid that you can get back

    If you're a Taiwanese exporter running DDP / both-ends customs-cleared, duty of this kind since 2025 may be refundable; the window closes about 180 days after each liquidation.

  • Feb 2026 · Tariff Alert

    Supreme Court rules the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs unlawful; collection stops Feb 24

    This is the legal basis for the refund above; MFN rates and Section 232 / 301 tariffs are not covered.

  • Jan 2026 · Market-entry barrier

    The EU's CBAM takes effect; carbon cost becomes an export barrier

    If you export carbon-intensive products — steel, aluminum, cement and the like — to the EU, emissions now factor into your cost. Price it in before you quote.

This month, you may be able to claim this refund →

Want to know how a new tariff actually hits this shipment of yours?

Tell Jumping Freight your products and route, and we'll look at the cost and the alternatives from the customs floor. Real-time replies on LINE.

Message us on LINE More customs & trade commentary

About this page: this is Jumping Freight's ongoing roundup and commentary on public tariff matters, offered as a reference for Taiwanese importers and exporters; policies and rates are subject to the official notices of each governing authority. The refund section is compiled from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) IEEPA refund pages and public legal analysis; actual eligibility, timing and amounts are subject to CBP notices and case-by-case determination.