Australian Menswear Brand OTAA Expands U.S. Fulfillment With Cart.com After the End of De Minimis Shipping
Melbourne-based brand builds a domestic fulfillment base with Cart.com in the market that accounts for roughly half
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Cart.com, a commerce and logistics infrastructure company, today announced that OTAA, the Melbourne-based menswear brand, is expanding its U.S. fulfillment operation at Cart.com’s facility in Longview, Texas, which now ships most of the brand’s U.S. orders. OTAA began shipping from Longview in February 2026, giving the brand a domestic base in its largest market, which accounts for roughly half its business.
“The end of de minimis changes the economics of serving American customers and makes the decision about where to hold inventory much more consequential,” said Omair Tariq, founder and CEO of Cart.com. “Brands need a U.S. operation sized to proven demand, with room to expand as the business grows. OTAA is doing that by bringing its bestsellers into our Longview facility and adding to the range in stages. We provide the facilities, software and operators to make that transition, so brands can invest in U.S. inventory without having to build a fulfillment operation themselves.”
The United States suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for eligible shipments valued at $800 or less from all countries on Aug. 29, 2025, increasing the cost and complexity of shipping directly to American customers. The suspension has since been made indefinite. Until February, every one of OTAA’s U.S. orders traveled roughly 9,000 miles from Melbourne. With inventory now held in Texas before customers order, stocked styles ship through the domestic delivery network. Applicable import duties remain payable when inventory enters the country.
Brothers Fameez and Shaheen Haroon started OTAA in Melbourne in 2011 with about A$500, when much of the industry had written off the necktie. The company remains fully bootstrapped and has generated more than US$40 million in lifetime sales, serving more than 400,000 customers in over 70 countries. Costume departments on more than 50 film and television productions, including Elvis and The Bear, have bought OTAA ties at full retail, and, as the Australian Financial Review reported, they have been worn in the White House.
“We never felt welcome in traditional luxury menswear stores, so we built our own kind of luxury: Australian, a little cheeky and full of personality,” said Fameez Haroon, co-founder of OTAA. “American customers embraced it from the start. Putting our bestsellers on American soil with Cart.com is a long-term commitment to them, and it’s the start of OTAA putting down real roots in America.”
With approximately 10,000 designs in its catalog, OTAA is moving its U.S. range in stages. It now stocks about 1,750 of its bestselling styles in Longview, under a fifth of the catalog, and ships the majority of its U.S. orders from there. OTAA plans to add about 1,000 more styles by the end of 2026. On average, an order shipped from Texas costs OTAA roughly half as much to fulfill and deliver as one sent from Melbourne.
“With around 10,000 designs, we couldn’t move everything overnight, and every style we stock in Texas ties up capital,” said Shaheen Haroon, co-founder of OTAA. “So we started with the bestsellers that drive most of our American orders, and we’re adding styles as demand proves out. Cart.com gives us the room to bring more of our range to American customers.”
About Cart.com
Cart.com is a commerce and logistics infrastructure company serving brands, retailers and government agencies. Through an integrated suite of software, AI, services and operations, Cart.com helps organizations attract customers, drive sales, fulfill demand and optimize the customer experience across every channel. By bringing together commerce technologies, marketing services and a nationwide fulfillment network, Cart.com supports thousands of customers and coordinates more than 80 million orders annually across 15 fulfillment and distribution centers. Category-leading brands including PacSun, Milk Makeup, ILIA, Thursday Boots, Janie & Jack and Organifi rely on Cart.com. For more information, visit Cart.com.
About OTAA
Founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2011, OTAA (Ocean Ties Apparel Australia) designs handmade ties and premium shirts, sold online and through select retailers to customers in more than 70 countries. The independently owned company is fully bootstrapped and has generated more than US$40 million in lifetime sales. OTAA was a 2025 Inc. Best in Business honoree and won Best Launch Campaign at the 2025 Glossy Fashion and Luxury Awards. For more information, visit otaa.com.
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