Overview

• Starting Friday, the de minimis exemption for parcels valued at $800 or less ends, with shipments subject to origin-country tariffs of roughly 10%–50% or a temporary flat duty of $80–$200 per package for six months.
• Postal services in 25 to 30 plus countries, including most of Europe as well as Mexico, Japan, Australia and India, have suspended or limited U.S.-bound packages citing a lack of guidance on collecting and remitting duties.
• The Universal Postal Union says members lacked time to adapt, has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and is fast-tracking a delivered-duty-paid solution to enable duty collection across its network.
• Marketplaces report disruptions ahead of the switch, with Etsy and eBay warning of suspended postal options and shoppers seeing order cancellations, while private couriers that can collect duties may cost several times more.
• Economists expect short-term delays and higher prices that will hit small businesses and lower-income consumers, with last year’s 1.36 billion low-value shipments now facing customs vetting and new fees.