GP-
Ahead of the August 29 implementation of President Trump’s executive order ending the de minimis exemption, which had allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free, postal services in Britain, France, Germany, India, Belgium, Denmark, and New Zealand announced they will suspend shipments to the United States.
They claim confusion over the rules, though packages worth less than $100 remain exempt, something hardly difficult to understand. The timing suggests this is more political theater, an attempt by Europeans to pressure Washington into reducing tariffs on other products.
Trump signed the order on July 29 to combat China’s abuse of the system, particularly its use of low-value parcels to smuggle fentanyl and circumvent trade sanctions. U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed more than 4 million such packages daily. Closing the loophole prevents sanctioned Chinese goods from bypassing tariffs through postal networks.
Retail giants like Temu and Shein built their entire business model on exploiting de minimis, shipping 1.36 billion parcels in 2024, mostly from China and Hong Kong. more
I remember sending letters to Europe and the people not getting them for like a week and a half. lol. Sometimes, they were opened before the people got them. You think OUR PO is bad? pfffft.
In reply to MJA, I remember my mother sending packages to Great Britain to help out friends in the 1950’s and my “brother from another mother” remembers his mother sending packages to Italy to help relatives well into the 1960’s. I thought your post was going to be something like that.
Here, in the Great White North, we are in the 6th month of a postal strike which is “work to rule”. The only mail which I receive is from CRA (Canada REvenue AGency) as I am the executrix for my late sister’s estate. I receive all of my bills on line and pay on line. Rarely use the postal service anymore.
JMM- Yep. They were anything from plain letters and sometimes something in one of those large taped up envelopes with the string around them. After a while, the letters never got there or got there opened. Ridiculous and disgusting.
And I’m sorry to hear about your sister. 🩷