I have no idea. Where they low value items? I can't recall now what the threshold was, maybe below 30 dollars.
Usually the carrier pays Customs and you pay the carrier along with the freight charges and the customs broker fee.
Possibly the tariff amount was so small compared to the freight charge you did not notice? It would all be on the same invoice. Many items were only tariffed at 2 or 3 percent prior to the 2025 increases.
Possible you were importing something that was never tariffed although I can't imagine what that would be.
If it helps (though seems rather obvious), Buckeye is importing Hypex and Purifi modules for his amps. Am sure he orders them in bulk to get a price break based on quantity, so is likely an extensive expense for his business.