European carriers pause some shipments to U.S. as they prepare for end of 'de minimis' exemption

Postal carriers crossed Europe are readying to suspend immoderate shipments to the U.S. arsenic the nations hole for the extremity of a longstanding commercialized rule.

Certain shipments from Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland are owed to beryllium paused successful the coming days and weeks aft President Donald Trump signed an enforcement bid ending the century-old "de minimis" exemption.

The commercialized policy, sometimes referred to arsenic a "loophole," has allowed shipments valued nether $800 to participate the U.S. virtually duty-free. The signifier is acceptable to extremity for imports from astir the globe connected Friday pursuing Trump's enforcement order.

The de minimis exemption for goods coming from China and Hong Kong, which person agelong accounted for the bulk of those shipments, ended successful May.

The suspensions volition interaction shipments valued nether $800, and mostly exclude gifts and letters. Most of the countries said they person to intermission shipments due to the fact that their systems weren't built for the caller requirements and they're unsure however to decently process the shipments nether the caller rules.

In a Friday statement, German-based planetary shipping institution DHL said Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany volition nary longer beryllium capable to judge and transport parcels destined for the U.S. It said "key questions stay unresolved, peculiarly regarding however and by whom customs duties volition beryllium collected successful the future, what further information volition beryllium required, and however the information transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection volition beryllium carried out."

Customers volition inactive beryllium capable to vessel goods via DHL Express, which is much expensive.

National station offices successful Spain, France and Belgium issued akin notices.

In a quality release, Spain's nationalist station bureau Correos said it learned of the elaborate requirements indispensable to comply with the enforcement bid connected Aug. 15 and hasn't had capable clip to alteration its systems. 

"This concern forces Correos, on with each postal operators that negociate shipments destined for the United States, to substantially modify their processes and summation shipment controls to instrumentality the caller customs requirements, importantly impacting planetary postal logistics and e-commerce flows," Correos said, adding the suspension took effect connected Monday.

It said it is moving to resume the shipments "as rapidly arsenic possible."

Belgium's station bureau said it was suspending shipments opening connected Saturday portion France's La Poste said shipments would beryllium suspended opening connected Monday. 

Meanwhile, Finland's station bureau Posti stopped accepting goods bound for the U.S. connected Saturday but aboriginal added it could nary longer judge gifts oregon letters either due to the fact that "several airlines person present refused to transport immoderate postal items to the United States." 

The carriers said they expect the suspensions to beryllium temporary. The pauses could hold immoderate shipments, but are not expected to impact astir planetary commerce.

Larger retailers, some home and international, don't thin to usage the de minimis exemption that often due to the fact that they vessel their goods via containers to U.S. warehouses and wage tariffs connected the goods. Two large exceptions are Temu and Shein, which popularized the usage of de minimis and relied connected it for the bulk of their shipments to U.S. consumers. Since de minimis ended for goods shipped from China, demand has fallen for Shein and Temu arsenic prices person risen.

The suspended shipments are expected to interaction smaller orders from Americans who are buying from smaller European businesses directly.