Postal deliveries from various countries to the US have dropped by 80% since President Trump removed the “minimum” exception that exempted small packages under $800 from tariffs, according to a UN agency.
The Universal Postal Coalition (UPU), which focuses on global postal cooperation, reported that postal services have plummeted since August 29, when the new regulations were implemented.
To address this decline, the UPU is working on technical solutions to facilitate package delivery to the US. One challenge is that obligations for low-value packages now fall on new stakeholders. Airlines, for example, are reluctant to assume liability, and postal operators in various countries lack a new connection to manage these requirements.
“The UPU has a responsibility to ensure the seamless distribution of mail within a single mail area. We are committed to developing new technical solutions that will help us resume mail delivery to the US,” a spokesperson said. They mentioned that starting September 5, postal operators will have access to calculators for land costs through application programming interfaces (APIs), enabling them to calculate and collect necessary fees from customers at their origin.
The UPU noted that 88 postal operators reported suspending some or all services to the US until solutions are implemented, underscoring the significant effects of Trump’s de Minimis rule.
This solution will be incorporated into the Customs Declaration System (CDS), allowing 176 postal operators to utilize the platform over time.
Interestingly, before the de minimis rule’s repeal in August, Trump had already lifted it for China.
This change has prompted discount retailers like Shein and Temu to reevaluate their distribution strategies, even leading to price increases for customers shipping low-cost packages.
