Several postal services from around the world have announced that they’re suspending the shipment of most packages to the United States due to confusion over new import duties.

  • Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy all paused most shipments on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
  • France and Austria followed suit on Monday, and the United Kingdom plans to pause shipments starting Tuesday.
  • India has joined the European nations in suspending postal deliveries to the U.S. except for letters, documents and gift items of up to $100 in value.


“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe, said in a statement.

Björn Bergman, head of group brand, IR and communications at Nordic logistics company PostNord, said the pause was “unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules.”

No More De Minimis

The disruption is a result of President Donald Trump signing an executive order ending the de minimis loophole for low-value packages shipped from all countries.


Starting this Friday, any items shipped through the international postal network will be subject to tariff rates based on the value of the package and its country of origin.

  • Last month, the U.S. and Europe reached an agreement that set a 15% tariff on most imports from the EU.
  • On Wednesday, a 50% tariff on imports from India will go into effect.


The postal services who have suspended shipping to the U.S. say they’re uncertain about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules and don’t have enough time to adjust.

For example, India’s communications ministry said in a statement that the executive order issued last month requires transport carriers or other “qualified parties” approved by U.S. authorities to collect and remit the tariff duties, but “several critical processes relating to the designation of ‘qualified parties’ and mechanisms for duty collection and remittance remain undefined.”

RELATED: What Are Current Tariff Rates? Find Out In PPAI’s Free Download

“Consequently, U.S.-bound air carriers have expressed their inability to accept postal consignments after 25th August, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness,” the ministry said. 

Wout Witteveen, spokesperson for Dutch postal service PostNL, told The Associated Press that the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them. He added that PostNL is working closely with its U.S. counterparts to find a solution.

Promo Perspective

The de minimis exemption allowed items valued at $800 or less to be shipped to the U.S. duty-free.

PPAI Research shows that small distributors process an average order size under $600, well under the $800 threshold, according to Rachel Zoch, public affairs and research editor for PPAI.

“Small operators collectively accounted for almost half of U.S. distributors’ sales volume last year, so we anticipate that many promo orders will definitely be affected going forward,” Zoch says.

We anticipate that many promo orders will definitely be affected going forward.”

Rachel Zoch

Public Affairs & Research Editor, PPAI

At the same time, several PPAI 100 firms report pricing disadvantages as high as 40% due to competitors exploiting the loophole. Now that the practice will end this week, the promo industry may see a more level playing field.

However, even firms not using de minimis may need to tighten compliance processes, especially around country-of-origin labeling and Harmonized Tariff Schedule classifications, given the increased scrutiny and new enforcement mechanisms.

Going forward, promo companies must ensure to have:

  • Proper HTS classification
  • Documentation for country-of-origin verification
  • Awareness of CBP reporting rules and potential bond requirements


PPAI, along with our lobbying partners in Washington, D.C., Thorn Run Partners, will continue monitoring these developments and outline a clear compliance process, particularly to support small and mid-sized firms navigating these new rules.