Postal services across multiple European countries are suspending U.S.-bound shipments due to confusion and a lack of clarity over new import tariffs.
German shipping giant DHL and services in at least seven other countries are temporarily pausing shipments ahead of the U.S. ending an exemption on duties for low-value packages.
Postal services in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Sweden said Saturday they would stop shipping most merchandise to the U.S., effective immediately.
France and Austria are set to begin the suspension on Monday, followed by the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
Beginning on Friday, most imported goods valued under $800 — previously exempt under the U.S. “de minimis” rule — will be subject to tariffs, the White House announced last month. Duties will not apply to letters, books and small parcels valued under $100.
Many of the postal services who paused deliveries immediately said they had done so because they couldn’t guarantee goods would enter the U.S. before the new rules take effect.
DHL Parcel Germany, the largest shipping provider in Europe, “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the U.S.,” the company said in a press release.
The move is due to ambiguity over the new customs regulations, including “how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future [and] what additional data will be required,” as well as a lack of time to process the implications.
The La Poste Group, France’s national postal service, said Wednesday that “technical specifications and implementation details” of the new tariffs were only issued by U.S. authorities on Aug. 15, “leaving European postal services with an extremely limited timeframe to get prepared.”
It’s unclear how long the suspensions will last.
The U.K.’s Royal Mail said it would temporarily pause shipments to the U.S. from businesses starting Tuesday, but added that it hoped to resume operations in a few days, after installing a new system that would allow compliance with the new rules.
“We have been working hard with U.S. authorities and international partners to adapt our services to meet the new U.S. de minimis requirements so U.K. consumers and businesses can continue to use our services when they come into effect,” the company said, according to the BBC.
With News Wire Services
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