FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs within the Rose Backyard on the White Home in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Postal visitors into the US plunged by greater than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations postal company mentioned Saturday.
The Common Postal Union says it has began rolling out new measures that may assist postal operators around the globe calculate and gather duties, or taxes, after the U.S. eradicated the so-called “de minimis exemption” for lower-value parcels.
Eighty-eight postal operators have informed the UPU that they’ve suspended some or all postal companies to the US till an answer is carried out with regard to U.S.-bound parcels valued at $800 or much less, which had been the cutoff for imported items to flee customs expenses.
“The worldwide community noticed postal visitors to the U.S. come to a near-halt after the implementation of the brand new guidelines on Aug. 29, 2025, which for the primary time positioned the burden of customs responsibility assortment and remittance on transportation carriers or U.S. Customs and Border Safety agency-approved certified events,” the UPU mentioned in an announcement.
The UPU mentioned info exchanged between postal operators by means of its digital community confirmed visitors from its 192 member international locations — practically all of the world international locations — had fallen 81% on Aug. 29, in comparison with every week earlier.
The Bern, Switzerland-based company mentioned the “main operational disruptions” have occurred as a result of airways and different carriers indicated they weren’t prepared or capable of gather such duties, and overseas postal operators had not established a hyperlink to CBP-qualified corporations.
Earlier than the measure took impact, the postal union despatched a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to precise issues about its impression.
The de minimis exemption has existed in some type since 1938, and the administration says the exemption has change into a loophole that overseas companies exploit to evade tariffs and criminals use to get medicine into the U.S.
Purchases that beforehand entered the U.S. with no need to clear customs now require vetting and are topic to their origin nation’s relevant tariff price, which might vary from 10% to 50%.
Whereas the change applies to the merchandise of each nation, U.S. residents won’t must pay duties on incoming presents valued at as much as $100, or on as much as $200 price of private souvenirs from journeys overseas, in accordance with the White Home.
The UPU mentioned its members had not been given sufficient time or steering to adjust to the procedures outlined within the government order U.S. President Donald Trump signed on July 30 to get rid of the duty-free eligibility of low-value items.
