The United States is set to terminate the tariff exemption (commonly known as the “de minimis threshold”) that was put in place for the import of low-cost goods on a global scale. Following this decision, postal operators from various countries have announced a suspension of parcel deliveries to the United States, pending further clarification from the U.S. on the implementation details.
The de minimis threshold allows goods valued at less than $800 to enter the country duty-free. This policy is scheduled to come to an end on August 29th (next Friday), affecting over four million parcels daily.
This move is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand trade protection measures. Since May of this year, the U.S. has already discontinued this duty-free treatment for packages originating from China and Hong Kong, and is now expanding it to other countries.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in 2024, 136 million packages were imported using this method, with a total value of $64.6 billion, with approximately 60% coming from China.
Postal institutions in several European countries have recently announced the suspension of some services to the U.S. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy’s postal services have stated that they will immediately cease receiving most packages destined for the U.S.; while France and Austria are expected to follow suit from next Monday (August 25th). The Royal Mail of the United Kingdom has announced a suspension of commercial account shipments to the U.S. from next Tuesday to ensure existing parcels can arrive before the new regulations take effect.
In the future, items sent from the UK to the U.S. valued at over $100, including personal gifts, will be subject to a 10% tariff. Under a recent U.S.-EU trade agreement, most goods from the EU will also face a 15% tariff.
Asian countries are also reacting simultaneously. Bloomberg reported that South Korea Post will suspend some air mail to the U.S. from next Tuesday, and Singapore Post will halt standard commercial deliveries from next Monday, while still offering value-added express services like Speedpost Express.
DHL, Europe’s largest logistics provider, announced that it will stop accepting commercial customer packages bound for the U.S. from Saturday (August 23), although its express service DHL Express will continue operations as normal. The company stated that several key issues remain unresolved, including who will collect taxes, what data needs to be provided, and how to interface with the U.S. customs system.
PostNL, a spokesperson for the Dutch postal service, Wout Witteveen, mentioned that while the U.S. is pushing for new regulations, a comprehensive tax and data mechanism has not yet been established. He advised consumers, “If you have something to send to the U.S., it’s best to send it today.”
Italy’s postal service announced that as of August 23, it will suspend the acceptance of parcels containing goods destined for the U.S. unless otherwise notified by the U.S., regular letter mail will not be affected. PostEurop, representing 51 European public postal operators, cautioned that if there is still no specific solution by August 29, member countries may suspend parcel services to the U.S. entirely.
Bloomberg reported that the U.S. e-commerce platform Etsy will suspend the provision of postal labels for shipments from Australia, Canada, and the U.K. to the U.S. starting on August 25, recommending users to switch to UPS or FedEx for pre-paid tariff express solutions.
In accordance with guidance released by CBP on August 15, in addition to calculating taxes based on the country of origin, mailed goods may also be subject to a temporary flat fee of $80 to $200 per piece for the next six months. Two international logistics companies have been authorized to collect taxes, but the overall system still needs improvement.