1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I’m writing to express concern about the proposed changes to de minimis import rules—specifically the $5,000 penalty for receiving counterfeit goods. I support cracking down on bad actors and those knowingly importing counterfeit items. However, I’m concerned that this penalty has the unintended side-effect of punishing consumers who unknowingly receive a replica or knockoff. There have been numerous media reports of people buying goods from large-scale retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, believing them to be legitimate. They later discovered they were sold counterfeits, through no fault of their own. It is unfair to impose a $5,000 fine on law-abiding consumers who have been deceived by unscrupulous vendors and third-party retailers who do not perform due diligence. Passing on the responsibility to consumers who put their trust in the companies who benefit from their customer’s trust is punching down at the citizen. Instead, accountability should be placed where it belongs, on the shoulders of bad actors and unchecked vendors. I hope your office will consider pushing for revised language to protect well-meaning consumers and focus instead on penalizing intentional violators. Thank you for dedicating your time and attention to protecting your law-abiding constituents.