Overview

• President Trump’s order ending duty-free treatment for packages valued at $800 or less takes effect Aug. 29, with CBP directing carriers or approved “qualified parties” to collect and remit tariffs.
• Europe’s La Poste, Deutsche Post/DHL Parcel, Correos, Royal Mail, PostNord and others have paused most business parcels to the U.S., joined by India Post, Japan Post (from Aug. 27), Switzerland’s Swiss Post, Taiwan’s Chunghwa Post and Australia Post (effective Aug. 26, including Puerto Rico).
• Operators say key mechanics remain unclear — who pays the duties, how to prepay them, and what additional data to file with CBP — prompting temporary suspensions.
• Letters, documents and person-to-person gifts under $100 continue to be accepted, while many shippers are steering customers to express channels such as DHL Express or Japan Post’s UGX.
• The policy change touches roughly 1.36 billion low-value parcels a year and is expected to raise costs and slow deliveries for small exporters and consumers, with many EU goods facing about a 15% tariff.