Global Postal Services Halt US Deliveries Amidst Tariff Chaos

Global mail services are halting US deliveries ahead of the de minimis exemption's end on August 29, citing a lack of clarity from US authorities on how duties will be collected and how to submit required data. Postal services in countries such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, and the UK are suspending US shipments temporarily due to uncertainty surrounding the new US rules for international shipments. The White House and US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment.

Global mail services are halting US deliveries ahead of the de minimis exemption's end on August 29, citing a lack of clarity from US authorities on how duties will be collected and how to submit required data. Postal services in countries such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, and the UK are suspending US shipments temporarily due to uncertainty surrounding the new US rules for international shipments. The White House and US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment.

The de minimis exemption, which had allowed low-value parcels to flow into the US with little interruption, is set to expire on August 29. This policy change is causing significant disruption in global shipping. The Czech Republic’s postal service will suspend US goods shipments until further notice starting Thursday, according to its website [1]. Austria’s post provider will no longer accept packages bound for the US after August 25, citing the changes to US customs rules [2]. Belgium’s Bpost will temporarily stop sending parcels to the US starting Friday due to uncertainty surrounding the new US rules for international shipments [1]. The UK’s Royal Mail plans to suspend US shipments for one to two days next week as it transitions to a new system to allow shippers to pay the newly-imposed duties [1].

The service interruptions highlight the seismic impact from the decision to eliminate the de minimis exemption. The policy had allowed low-value parcels to flow into the US from around the world with little interruption. Now, postal services, online sellers, consumers, and shipping companies are attempting to sort through the costly and complicated process to comply with US rules with little guidance from federal agencies.

The fallout is extending beyond mail carriers. Starting August 25, online marketplace Etsy Inc. plans to suspend its shipping label service for national mail services in Australia, Canada, and the UK for US-bound packages, according to its website [3]. The company suggested that shippers use carriers with services in place that allow them to pay duties before goods arrive in the US, such as United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. FedEx said it continues to accept and transport shipments to the US and is unaffected by the postal operators’ decisions. UPS had not immediately commented. The US Postal Service didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

US Customs and Border Protection has issued new guidance about how incoming international postal shipments will be processed, including putting the burden of collecting duties and taxes for shipments which no longer have de minimis exemption on to the international postal services directly [3]. This guidance is welcomed, but it is still a concern that only two companies have been certified to collect and pay duty on behalf of international mail carriers, and the deadline is just a week away.

The de minimis exemption's end is expected to have a significant impact on the global shipping industry, with postal services, online sellers, and consumers all grappling with the new rules. The uncertainty surrounding the new US rules for international shipments is causing temporary service suspensions and disruptions in global shipping.

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-21/global-mail-services-halt-us-deliveries-ahead-of-de-minimis-end
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/austrian-postal-group-joins-european-peers-halting-parcel-shipments-us-2025-08-21/
[3] https://www.valueaddedresource.net/international-postal-services-de-minimis-pause-us-shipments/