Postal site visitors into US plunges by greater than 80% after Trump ends exemption

[ad_1] Postal site visitors into america plunged by greater than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations postal company stated Saturday.

The Common Postal Union says it has began rolling out new measures that may assist postal operators all over the world calculate and accumulate duties, or taxes, after the US 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 service to america till an answer is applied with regard to US-bound parcels valued at $800 or much less, which had been the cutoff for imported items to flee customs fees.

“The worldwide community noticed postal site visitors to the US 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 US Customs and Border Safety agency-approved certified events,” the UPU stated in a press release.

The UPU stated data exchanged amongst postal operators by means of its digital community confirmed site visitors from its 192 member nations – practically all of the world nations – had fallen 81% on 29 August, in contrast with every week earlier.

The company, primarily based in Bern, Switzerland, stated the “main operational disruptions” have occurred as a result of airways and different carriers indicated they weren’t keen or in a position to accumulate such duties, and international postal operators had not established a hyperlink to CBP-qualified firms.

Earlier than the measure took impact, the postal union despatched a letter to the US secretary of state Marco Rubio to specific considerations about its impression.

The de minimis exemption has existed in some type since 1938, and the administration says it has change into a loophole that international companies exploit to evade tariffs and that criminals use to get medicine into the US.

Purchases that beforehand entered the US with no need to clear customs now require vetting and are topic to their origin nation’s relevant tariff fee, which might vary from 10% to 50%.

Whereas the change applies to the merchandise of each nation, US residents is not going to must pay duties on incoming items valued at as much as $100, or on as much as $200 price of non-public souvenirs from journeys overseas, in keeping with the White Home.

The UPU stated its members had not been given sufficient time or steering to adjust to the procedures outlined within the government order Donald Trump signed on 30 July to remove the duty-free eligibility of low-value items.