Postal traffic into the United States plunged by more than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations postal agency said Saturday.
The Universal Postal Union says it has started rolling out new measures that can help postal operators around the world calculate and collect duties, or taxes, after the U.S. eliminated the so-called “de minimis exemption” for lower-value parcels.
Eighty-eight postal operators have told the UPU that they have suspended some or all postal services to the United States until a solution is implemented with regard to U.S.-bound parcels valued at $800 or less, which had been the cutoff for imported goods to escape customs charges.
“The global network saw postal traffic to the U.S. come to a near-halt after the implementation of the new rules on Aug. 29, 2025, which for the first time placed the burden of customs duty collection and remittance on transportation carriers or U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency-approved qualified parties,” the UPU said in a statement.
The UPU said information exchanged between postal operators through its electronic network showed traffic from its 192 member countries — nearly all the world countries — had fallen 81% on Aug. 29, compared to a week earlier.
Yeah cheap temu crap is one thing. Localised products from other nations just won’t happen on the individual level and will require a USA company to act as a middle man. In Australian news, we keep hearing about companies that are losing a large chunk of trade because of this. Most are small businesses with niche products; emu leather, kangaroo products, eucalyptus oil, etc. All things that are only made in Australia.
Even having a middle man won’t help. The postal services are not engaging until there is a system in places and clarity.
Sure, mass shipping can work, but is cost prohibitive for all niche products, like you’ve mentioned unless they have a giant distribution deal.
They don’t want to get the ultimate bill for the duties owed. They don’t usually keep customer information, so it needs to be collected up front or not at all.