9.6.25
Postal traffic to the United States has plunged by about 81 percent following the end of the duty-free de minimis exemption for low-value packages to the US, according to a press release issued by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the United Nations specialized agency for global postal cooperation. International postal exchanges are a backbone of cross-border e-commerce and small-business trade. Sudden operational changes that halt or limit parcel flows to the U.S. risk disrupting supply chains, delaying consumer goods, and imposing unexpected costs on merchants and shoppers. Multiple national postal services announced pauses or suspensions of U.S.-bound parcels around the Aug. 29 implementation date, highlighting the scale of the disruption. The UPU's electronic network data showed traffic from member countries to the U.S. fell 81% on Friday, Aug. 29, compared with the previous Friday, Aug. 22, following the suspension of the de minimis exemption, which allows low-value imports to enter a country free of customs duties and taxes. The U.S. broadened prior changes that had already removed the exemption for China and Hong Kong. As a result, 88 postal operators reported suspending some or all services to the U.S. until a solution is in place, the UPU said.