Some global mail services suspend US delivery via import duties
Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will soon suspend most goods to the US.
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DHL, one of Europe’s largest package shipping and delivery companies, announced on August 22 that it is one of several services that suspend shipments to the US.
DHL Pursel Germany and its domestic division, Deutsche Post, have suspended “transporting and transporting customers to the US via postal networks as of Saturday, August 23rd, as of Saturday, August 23rd.
It effectively sunk down a minimal trade agreement, citing an executive order signed by Trump in late July. In 2024, the minimum shipment to the United States was valued at over $1.36 billion, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
As a result, Reuters reported that postal groups from several European countries have announced that they will suspend shipping of parcels to the US.
The suspension is temporary, but “important questions remain unresolved.”
DHL said the suspension of U.S. services is a temporary measure that will largely be affected by new restrictions and processes implemented by regulators.
“The key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how future tariffs will be collected, what additional data will be required, and how data will be transmitted to US customs border protection,” the company said in a statement. “These changes have affected all mail and parcel service providers around the world, many of whom have already announced a suspension of mail transport to the US.”
Other companies that are members of the European Postal Services Association have been advised that they need to temporarily restrict or suspend the transportation of goods through the US postal network, the statement said.
Until the suspension is lifted, customers still have the option to send private packages labeled as “gifts” as long as they are worth less than $100. These must be sent from person to person, not from business to customer. Other items can be sent via DHL Express, a more expensive option, but are subject to applicable customs duties. Commercial freight is subject to a minimum of 15% customs duties, with some categories having a higher obligation.
DHL plans to resume standard shipments to the US and did not say it had contacted DHL for details.
“DHL is closely monitoring further developments and is in touch with US authorities along with European partners,” the statement read. “The company’s goal is to resume shipping mail items to the US as soon as possible.”
What are the exceptions to de minimis?
The De Minimis exemption refers to section 321 of the Customs Act of 1930. This allows the Treasury Secretary to waive any obligation or fees that are inconvenient to collect taxes rather than the income is worth it. In fact, this policy allowed businesses to ship low value packages without US tariffs. The Trump administration said customs and border patrols will process more than 4 million minimum shipments daily before an executive order ending the exemption.
The exception has been the fore and backwards over the past few months between the Trump administration and China, resulting in an early speed bump. Originally scheduled to close in February, it was postponed after starting to stack packages without time to plan and implement policy changes.
The August 29 deadline will be closed several months after the loophole was closed due to imports on May 2nd, especially from China and Hong Kong. More than half of all packages, including the De Minimis exemption, come from China, and more than 30% of all daily packages shipped under De Minimis are from Temu and Shein, Reuters reported in February.
Other international shippers suspend US services
Postal services in other countries, including the UK Royal Mail, Asian shippers, and Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France and Italy, have also suspended certain cargo in the US before the exemption officially closes on Friday, August 28th, as reported by NPR and Reuters.
