Overview

• The duty-free threshold for imports under $800 ended Aug. 29 by executive order, with the White House citing tariff evasion and unsafe shipments and officials projecting tariff revenue gains of up to $10 billion a year.
• Postal operators in multiple countries have suspended or limited U.S.-bound parcels, including Deutsche Post/DHL Parcel Germany, La Poste, Japan Post, PostNord, Posten Bring and Australia Post, citing uncertainty over how the new regime will work.
• DHL Group and the PostEurop trade association say key implementation details remain unresolved, including who will collect duties, what shipment data will be required, and how it must be transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
• Consumers and businesses face higher costs and slower deliveries as all parcels are processed for duties, with some carriers imposing flat fees of $80 to $200 and experts warning CBP lacks resources to handle roughly a billion additional packages a year.
• Small cross-border merchants are pausing U.S. orders or shutting storefronts, while large retailers with U.S. fulfillment networks may gain share, with Urban Outfitters’ leadership saying the shift could benefit its core brand.