Postal shipments to the United States have dropped by more than 80% following the Trump administration’s decision to end a tariff exemption for low-cost imports, the United Nations' postal agency said on September 6.
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) said it is introducing new tools to help postal operators worldwide calculate and collect customs duties after the US removed the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed lower-value parcels to enter the country duty-free.
So far, 88 postal operators and more than 20 countries around the world have suspended parcel shipments to the US until a system is in place to handle parcels worth US$800 or less—the threshold that once allowed such imports to bypass customs fees. But why were these suspensions put in place? And what packages are being impacted the most? Click through to find out.