USPS may stop delivering millions of packages following a major rule change, impacting popular sites such as Amazon Haul, TikTok Shop, Shein, and Temu.
Cheap, overseas packages will be affected as new regulations under President Donald Trump are set to take effect later this week.
Trump recently signed an executive order to eliminate the de minimis loophole starting this Friday, August 29, barring packages worth under $800 from entering the country tax-free.
As a result of the de minimis change, postal services across the globe are revealing that they are halting shipments to the country, claiming that they have not received sufficient guidance from the US.
Postal companies have revealed their confusion over how duties must be paid, what documentation will be required, and how to transmit information to US Customs and Border Protection.
As a result, many countries have decided to suspend service to America until the issue is resolved.
European and Asian postal services, for example, have shared that they plan to pause shipments as early as Monday.
Trump’s announcement left “European postal services with an extremely short timeframe to prepare – especially since these procedures still require numerous clarifications,” LaPoste, France’s postal service, said in a statement to the Financial Times.
More on the de minimis loophole
The de minimis exemption was officially implemented in 1938 to avoid the administrative cost of taxing low-value imports, initially set at $1.
The value maximum has climbed in line with inflation, reaching $5 by 1978, $200 in 1993, and $800 by 2016.
The latter change aligned with the exponential growth of e-commerce, with the number of small shipments spiking from 220 million in 2016 to more than one billion in 2023.
Allowing packages valued at $800 or less into the US duty-free created what many believed to be an unintentional loophole in our country’s trade policy.
Fast-fashion retailers, drop shipping businesses, and direct-to-consumer brands have capitalized on the de minimis exemption for years, building their entire business models around sending small, individual packages directly to American shoppers.
The Trump administration is moving to end the exemption under the premise that it creates a loophole for countries to dodge tariffs and potentially allows products made with forced labor to enter the US as well as illegal shipments such as fentanyl.
Once the de minimis exemption is axed, the roughly 1.36 billion annual shipments to the US from foreign countries that were previously tax-exempt will cost consumers more.
LaPoste will halt most shipping services to the US starting Monday, as will Singapore’s SingPost, India’s Department of Posts, and DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe.
“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” the company said.
Austria’s Austrian Post and Switzerland’s Swiss Post likewise announced that the postal services would no longer accept goods destined for the US as of Tuesday.
“There is currently insufficient information available on the customs clearance procedures that will be required in the future. This tightening of regulations poses major challenges for all postal companies worldwide when shipping goods to the USA,” said the Austrian Post.
The UK’s Royal Mail has also announced it would pause shipments to America on Tuesday to permit the parcels enough time to arrive before the new taxes take effect.
Meanwhile, postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and South Korea have all already imposed a suspension on US-bound shipments.
PARCEL PROBLEMS
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 30, 2025, suspending the de minimis duty-free exemption globally.
Previously, the duty permitted low-value packages valued under $800 to enter the US without duties or full customs clearance.
President Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs
Reciprocal tariffs per country, which includes the 10% baseline fee:
- China: charges the US 67% tariffs, the US will counter with 34% reciprocal tariffs.
- European Union: charges the US 39% tariffs, the US will counter with 20% reciprocal tariffs.
- Vietnam: charges the US 90% tariffs, the US will counter with 46% reciprocal tariffs.
- Taiwan: charges the US 64% tariffs, the US will counter with 32% reciprocal tariffs.
- Japan: charges the US 46% tariffs, the US will counter with 24% reciprocal tariffs.
- India: charges the US 52% tariffs, the US will counter with 26% reciprocal tariffs.
- South Korea: charges the US 50% tariffs, the US will counter with 25% reciprocal tariffs.
- Thailand: charges the US 72% tariffs, the US will counter with 36% reciprocal tariffs.
- Switzerland: charges the US 61% tariffs, the US will counter with 31% reciprocal tariffs.
- Indonesia: charges the US 61% tariffs, the US will counter with 32% reciprocal tariffs.
- Malaysia: charges the US 47% tariffs, the US will counter with 24% reciprocal tariffs.
- Cambodia: charges the US 97% tariffs, the US will counter with 49% reciprocal tariffs.
- United Kingdom: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- South Africa: charges the US 60% tariffs, the US will counter with 30% reciprocal tariffs.
- Brazil: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Bangladesh: charges the US 74% tariffs, the US will counter with 37% reciprocal tariffs.
- Singapore: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Israel: charges the US 33% tariffs, the US will counter with 17% reciprocal tariffs.
- Philippines: charges the US 34% tariffs, the US will counter with 17% reciprocal tariffs.
- Chile: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Australia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Pakistan: charges the US 58% tariffs, the US will counter with 29% reciprocal tariffs.
- Turkey: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Sri Lanka: charges the US 88% tariffs, the US will counter with 44% reciprocal tariffs.
- Colombia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Peru: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Nicaragua: charges the US 36% tariffs, the US will counter with 18% reciprocal tariffs.
- Norway: charges the US 30% tariffs, the US will counter with 15% reciprocal tariffs.
- Costa Rica: charges the US 17% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Jordan: charges the US 40% tariffs, the US will counter with 20% reciprocal tariffs.
- Dominican Republic: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- United Arab Emirates: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- New Zealand: charges the US 20% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Argentina: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Ecuador: charges the US 12% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Guatemala: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Honduras: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Madagascar (Burma): charges the US 88% tariffs, the US will counter with 44% reciprocal tariffs.
- Tunisia: charges the US 55% tariffs, the US will counter with 28% reciprocal tariffs.
- Kazakhstan: charges the US 54% tariffs, the US will counter with 27% reciprocal tariffs.
- Serbia: charges the US 74% tariffs, the US will counter with 37% reciprocal tariffs.
- Egypt: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Saudi Arabia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- El Salvador: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Côte d’Ivoire: charges the US 41% tariffs, the US will counter with 21% reciprocal tariffs.
- Laos: charges the US 95% tariffs, the US will counter with 48% reciprocal tariffs.
- Botswana: charges the US 74% tariffs, the US will counter with 37% reciprocal tariffs.
- Trinidad and Tobago: charges the US 12% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Morocco: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Moldova: charges the US 61% tariffs, the US will counter with 31% reciprocal tariffs.
- Angola: charges the US 63% tariffs, the US will counter with 32% reciprocal tariffs.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: charges the US 22% tariffs, the US will counter with 11% reciprocal tariffs.
- Jamaica: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Mozambique: charges the US 31% tariffs, the US will counter with 16% reciprocal tariffs.
- Paraguay: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Zambia: charges the US 33% tariffs, the US will counter with 17% reciprocal tariffs.
- Lebanon: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Tanzania: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Iraq: charges the US 78% tariffs, the US will counter with 39% reciprocal tariffs.
- Georgia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Senegal: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Azerbaijan:charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Cameroon: charges the US 22% tariffs, the US will counter with 11% reciprocal tariffs.
- Uganda: charges the US 20% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Albania: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Armenia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Nepal: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Sint Maarten: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Falkland Islands: charges the US 82% tariffs, the US will counter 41% with reciprocal tariffs.
- Gabon: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Kuwait: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Togo: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Suriname: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Belize: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Algeria: charges the US 59% tariffs, the US will counter with 30% reciprocal tariffs.
- Oman: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Uruguay: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Bahamas: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Lesotho: charges the US 99% tariffs, the US will counter with 55% reciprocal tariffs.
- Ukraine: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Bahrain: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Qatar: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Mauritius: charges the US 80% tariffs, the US will counter with 40% reciprocal tariffs.
- Fiji: charges the US 63% tariffs, the US will counter with 32% reciprocal tariffs.
- Iceland: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Kenya: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Liechtenstein: charges the US 73% tariffs, the US will counter with 37% reciprocal tariffs.
- Guyana: charges the US 76% tariffs, the US will counter with 38% reciprocal tariffs.
- Haiti: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: charges the US 70% tariffs, the US will counter with 35% reciprocal tariffs.
- Nigeria: charges the US 27% tariffs, the US will counter with 14% reciprocal tariffs.
- Namibia: charges the US 42% tariffs, the US will counter with 21% reciprocal tariffs.
- Brunei: charges the US 47% tariffs, the US will counter with 24% reciprocal tariffs.
- Bolivia: charges the US 20% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
- Panama: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Venezuela: charges the US 29% tariffs, the US will counter with 15% reciprocal tariffs.
- North Macedonia: charges the US 65% tariffs, the US will counter 33% with reciprocal tariffs.
- Ethiopia: charges the US 10% tariffs, the US will respond with a 10% baseline fee.
- Ghana: charges the US 17% tariffs, the US will counter with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
The full list was shared on by the White House’s rapid response team on X.
Beginning on Friday, August 29, these shipments will now be subject to either an ad valorem tariff based on the item’s country-of-origin rate, or a flat fee of $80 to $200 per item, depending on the tariff tiers.
There are certain exceptions to these regulations, such as personal items brought by travelers worth up to $200 or gifts valued under $100.
Over 1.36 billion de minimis shipments entered the US last fiscal year, per estimates from the US Customs and Border Protection, with the agency processing over four million of these packages daily.
Back in May, the Trump administration already eliminated the loophole for on parcels arriving from China and Hong Kong, hurting cheap sellers such as Shein and Temu and raising prices for Americans.
The impending change to the de minimis loophole on Friday is predicted to impact discount e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon Haul and TikTok Shop.
The exemption’s removal will also likely affect online marketplaces such as Etsy and Shopify.
The change comes as experts warn that American consumers will soon see spiked costs on common goods, with an extra $40 weekly expected to hit their grocery bills within the next three to six months thanks to tariffs, Kyle Peacock, founder of Peacock Tariff Consulting, told Daily Mail.
“We have started to see certain products suffer,” he said. “Coffee prices have already jumped, so have vegetables.”
Trump’s tariffs have similarly sparked fears of price hikes over at Home Depot, with a company chief issuing a warning just months after fears were raised over changes.
Plus, check out the shocking truth behind PlayStation consoles getting a $50 increase.
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