Consumer Electronics: Tariff Refund Playbook

TL;DR

Consumer electronics importers touched IEEPA duties on most China-origin SKUs during the 2025 window. HTS 85 lines are among the most densely IEEPA-surcharged in the schedule.

Typical 2025 exposure: 4 to 12 percent of 2025 landed cost. Primary ports of entry: Los Angeles / Long Beach, Chicago O'Hare (air), New York / Newark. Our licensed broker partners have filed on behalf of importers in this vertical and can handle claim preparation under 19 CFR 111.

1. The Consumer Electronics Refund Profile

Consumer electronics importers touched IEEPA duties on most China-origin SKUs during the 2025 window. HTS 85 lines are among the most densely IEEPA-surcharged in the schedule.

Top HTS lines for this vertical:

• electrical machinery (HS 85)
• machinery (HS 84)
• optical and measuring (HS 90)
• plastics (HS 39)

IOR posture: Brand owners are usually IOR. Contract manufacturers shipping DDP may be. Verify on 7501.

2. The Most Common Mistake

Missing HTS reclassification opportunities that would have reduced Column 1 exposure regardless of IEEPA. Binding CBP rulings locking in a better heading are worth pursuing even after refund claims land.

Our AI analyzer flags these kinds of issues automatically on 7501 upload. For a faster read, the IEEPA Refund Calculator returns a refund range from four inputs.

3. What You Should Do This Week

IEEPA calculator for 2025 refund, HTS reclassification calculator for forward-looking savings, AI analyzer for line-level breakdown.

Concrete three-step path:

1. Pull your 2025 ACE entry history. Everything from April 2, 2025 to February 20, 2026.
2. Identify the IEEPA-dutied lines. HTS codes starting with 9903.01 indicate IEEPA exposure. Your broker can export this as a single CSV.
3. Calculate and prioritize. Claims above $250,000 get a direct broker review. Claims under that can go through the calculator and AI analyzer first to right-size the engagement.

4. Compliance Posture

Consumer Electronics importers face the same industry-wide trap: refund mills quoting 30 percent contingency fees and promising "file today." Two reasons to walk away:

1. 19 USC 1641 makes customs business without a licensed broker a federal offense. Every filing we route goes through a licensed customs broker partner under 19 CFR 111.
2. FTC Section 5 prohibits unsubstantiated refund claims. We publish estimate ranges with the explicit "subject to CBP adjudication" caveat. Mills that promise a dollar figure on a cold-call intro are the ones the FTC pays attention to.

5. Next Steps

• Take the 60-second qualification quiz.
• Run the IEEPA Refund Calculator.
• If exposure crosses $250,000, book a 30-minute consultation.
• If you have any UFLPA, AD-CVD, or transshipment concerns, route to a customs law firm instead.

Tariff Refund Credits is a lead-generation service. Customs business is performed exclusively by our licensed customs broker partners under 19 CFR 111. Not legal or tax advice.