International Parcel Delivery Has Fallen Into Chaos! European Postal Services Have Suspended Deliveries, And Courier Logistics Have Refused To Accept Commercial Packages.

International parcel delivery has fallen into chaos! European postal services have suspended deliveries, and courier logistics have refused to accept commercial packages.

 

 

Due to the termination of the tariff exemption for low-value packages entering the United States, several international postal service providers have suspended their operations and are waiting for the rules to be further clarified.

 

This exemption is called the "minimum" exemption, allowing packages valued at less than $800 to enter the United States duty-free. According to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a total of 1.36 billion packages were sent out under this exemption in 2024, involving goods worth $64.6 billion. This exemption will expire on Friday.

On Saturday, due to the chaos caused by the new import tariffs, postal service agencies across Europe announced the suspension of the delivery of a large number of packages to the United States. Postal service agencies in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy stated that they would immediately stop delivering most goods to the United States. France and Austria will stop delivering most goods to the United States on Monday.

 

The Royal Mail of the UK stated that it will stop shipping to the US on Tuesday so that these packages have enough time to arrive before the tariffs take effect. The company said that items originating from the UK and valued at over $100 (including gifts for friends and family) will be subject to a 10% tariff.

 

The largest freight supplier in Europe, DHL, stated in a statement: "The key issues remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom tariffs will be levied in the future, what additional data is needed, and how data will be transmitted to the US Customs and Border Protection Agency."

The company stated that "from Saturday onwards, it will no longer be able to receive or transport packages and mail sent from commercial customers to the United States". A trade framework reached between the United States and the European Union last month stipulates that a 15% tariff will be imposed on the vast majority of products shipped from the European Union. Packages valued at less than $800 will also be subject to this tariff.

 

 

Many European postal service agencies have stated that they are currently suspending deliveries because they cannot guarantee that the goods will reach the United States by August 29. They pointed out that it is unclear which types of goods are covered by the new regulations, and there is not enough time to assess their impact.

The Nordic logistics company Postnord and the Italian postal service announced similar service suspensions on Saturday. "Due to the lack of further instructions from the US authorities... Italian Post will be forced, like other European postal operators, to suspend the receipt of all shipments destined for the US that contain goods starting from August 23. Mail shipments without goods will continue to be received," Italian Post stated on Friday.

 

The company added that courier services such as DHL Express could still continue to operate. The brand and communication director of PostNord Group said that the suspension of operations was "regrettable, but it was necessary to ensure full compliance with the newly implemented regulations".

In the Netherlands, a spokesperson for Dutch Post, Wouter Witvink, said that although the US authorities lack a system for imposing tariffs, the Trump administration is still pushing forward with the imposition of new tariffs. He stated that Dutch Post is working closely with its US counterparts to find solutions.

 

 

Wittfen told the Associated Press: "If you have something to send to the United States, you should do it today." Austria's leading logistics and postal service provider, Austrian Post, said that the last time commercial goods were received for shipment to the United States (including Puerto Rico) would be on Tuesday.

The French National Post Office stated that the United States did not provide complete details and did not give the French Post Office sufficient time to prepare for the new customs procedures.

It stated in a statement: "Although discussions were held with the US customs department, no time was given to the postal operators to restructure and ensure the necessary computer updates to comply with the new regulations."

The European Postal Association, which is composed of 51 European public postal operators, stated that if no solution is found by August 29, all its members may follow suit.