On Tuesday (August 25), Australia Post announced that it has temporarily suspended parcel deliveries to the United States. This decision was made in response to the Trump administration’s cancellation of a long-standing tariff exemption rule for low-value parcels entering the country.
Australia Post, a government-owned postal company in Australia, followed suit after multiple European carriers, such as Swiss Post and DHL under Deutsche Post, had already halted parcel deliveries to the United States due to the new regulations imposed by the Trump administration.
In a statement, Australia Post expressed disappointment over the necessity to take such action, citing the complex and rapidly changing situation as requiring the temporary suspension of services to formulate and implement a viable solution for customers.
Starting from August 26, Australia Post will no longer accept parcels destined for the United States and Puerto Rico until further notice. However, gifts valued under $100, as well as letters and documents, are not affected by this service change.
Australia Post stated that it will continue working with U.S. and Australian authorities, as well as international postal partners, to swiftly restore services to the United States.
Last month, the U.S. government announced that parcels valued at $800 or less sent to the United States would need to pay all applicable tariffs starting from August 29, as the U.S. suspended the “de minimis” tariff exemption for low-value goods.
Parcels sent through the postal system will face one of two tariffs: either the “ad valorem duty,” which corresponds to the actual tariff rate of the parcel’s country of origin; or a specific tariff ranging from $80 to $200 to be levied within the next six months, depending on the tariff rate of the country of origin.
(Reference: Reuters)