Multiple Countries Halt Parcel Shipments to US Due to Trump’s Elimination of Tariff Exemptions

Countries including Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and Mexico have joined a growing number of nations halting some parcel deliveries to the United States due to changes in customs regulations implemented under the current administration. The “de minimis” exemption, which previously allowed shipments valued at $800 or less to enter the US without tariffs, will no longer be in effect as of this Friday.

This modification by the administration aims to slow the influx of low-cost imports and support domestic manufacturing, but it has led to logistical challenges and uncertainties within global postal networks and e-commerce supply chains.

Nations such as India, Thailand, South Korea, and New Zealand have already announced temporary service suspensions due to these complications and confusion over US tariff policies. Additional postal providers across the Asia Pacific are now also momentarily halting services to the US, affecting low-value parcels shipped by both individuals and small businesses.

Japan Post has announced that it will temporarily halt deliveries of packages valued over $100 to the US starting on Wednesday, as stated in a Monday release. Mexico has also confirmed that it will temporarily suspend shipments to the US, effective from Friday, according to a statement issued yesterday.

Australia Post has disclosed that it will “temporarily partially suspend postal services to the United States and Puerto Rico,” beginning August 26, 2025, until further notice, as reported in an update today. The organization noted that this action aligns with similar decisions made by numerous international postal operators.

Uncertainty regarding postage has caused turmoil for e-commerce retailers based in Australia, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Laz Smith, co-founder of maternity wear brand Apéro, expressed concern about the situation, stating, “The volatility in decision making, and the volatility of the market, and, quite frankly, the lack of ability of even Australia Post to be able to address these issues in a timely manner, puts us, and all of Australian fashion, in a really precarious position.”

Taiwan’s postal service has also suspended deliveries of small parcels destined for the US, effective from Tuesday, as announced in a statement on Monday. Chunghwa Post stated that it halted deliveries because “the global postal system has not yet provided a service allowing senders to prepay customs duty, and Chunghwa Post’s contracted carriers have also announced suspension of merchandise mail deliveries.”

The elimination of the de minimis exemption is expected to impact discount sellers like Amazon Haul and TikTok Shop, as well as online marketplaces such as Etsy and Shopify, which facilitate connections between US consumers and businesses worldwide. International postal service DHL has already stopped accepting shipments to the US as of August 25, joining other European companies in halting deliveries.

The United States Customs and Border Protection estimated that over 1.36 billion de minimis shipments entered the country last fiscal year, with approximately 4 million de minimis shipments processed daily. According to the latest executive order, businesses may face charges of up to $200 per item for countries with tariff rates above 25%.