A post office in Bayside, New York
The United States Postal Service said it had stopped accepting all packages originating in Hong Kong and China, accordance to an international service disruption notice the agency posted on its website.
“Effective February 4, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend only international package acceptance of inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts until further notice,” the notice read. “Note the flow of letters and flats from China and Hong Kong will not be impacted.”
The move was in response to President Trump’s executive order that increases tariffs on good from China that, not only imposes an additional 10% tariff on goods from China but also ends a key import tax exemption, one that has enabled the rise of Chinese ecommerce platforms such as Temu and Shein.
Known as the de minimis rule, the exemption allows goods valued under $800 to be shipped directly to American consumers without incurring import duties, customs declarations, or extensive inspections. Its origins go back to 1938.
This waiver was originally intended to exempt personal gifts and other small items that Americans send home from trips abroad. However, it has since allowed foreign businesses to more easily sell goods to consumers in the United Staters without necessitating that packages from these companies clear U.S. customs and pay customs duties
With the rise of a more global ecommerce market, the number of packages has made it difficult, if not impossible, for the Customs and Border Protection to surveil all packages destined for U.S. residents.
Exactly how many packages are we talking about? According to the CBP, an estimated 1.36 billion de minimis packages – or some 372,000 packages per day – entered the country in fiscal year 2024, almost ten times the number that entered in 2015.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
