US Postal Service lifts suspension of inbound packages from Hong Kong, China

The elimination of a small-package tax exemption will pose challenges to Chinese cross-border online marketplaces, and force these platforms to adjust pricing strategies and establish more local warehousing and logistics facilities in overseas markets, in order to reduce dependence on cross-border transportation and lower international logistics costs,

Hong said

The problem is not with the Postal Service. The problem is with Customs. They are not prepared for what's happening,

said one postal industry expert, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution

We're all running around like headless chickens at this moment in time, trying to second-guess what's going to happen. And in two weeks' time we may be back to normal,

said Martin Palmer, co-founder of Hurricane Commerce, a cross-border ecommerce data provider

The trillion-dollar question,

the expert said,

We don't have that luxury. Everything's happening immediately without preparation,

she said

Effective February 5, 2025, the Postal Service will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts.

The update read

Me pressing 'urgent delivery' on my Shein order hoping it will arrive next day,

another user wrote

Many of the small goods they purchase from China through online shopping are affordable and of good quality, playing an important role in meeting their daily needs. If this supply is suddenly cut off, it will be detrimental to consumers,

Wu said

We urge the US to take urgent actions to rectify the FR Notice as well as to lift the suspension of accepting inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post as a matter of priority,

the spokesperson said

The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery,

it said

There has really been absolutely zero time for anyone to prepare for this,

Maureen Cori, co-founder at New York-based consultancy Supply Chain Compliance, told the Reuters news agency

Doing the paperwork for customs declarations was not something these companies had to deal with very often before,

said Basile Ricard, operations director at Ceva Logistics Greater China

E-commerce volumes out of China grew 20-30% last year, so it's going to take a sledgehammer to crack that level of consumer demand and I'm not sure de minimis alone is enough,

said Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer at freight platform Xeneta

The USPS would require some time to sort out how to execute the new taxes before allowing Chinese packages to arrive in the U.S. again,

said Chelsey Tam, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar

This is huge... People waiting for orders from Amazon, Shein and Temu have no way of knowing when they can receive those orders,

said Ram Ben Tzion, founder of Ultra Information Solution, the firm behind digital shipment vetting platform Publican

This political war is affecting the local people, not just in Hong Kong but in other places too. It's very disturbing for us,

John Khan, who has run a trading business for nearly 30 years, told Reuters

As we transition to execution of the Executive Order, it is extremely important that the trade maintain awareness of the shipments they are responsible for and are aware of the messaging that they are receiving from CBP,

it said, according to Reuters

Jason Smith (basketball, born 1986)major damage, county official

President Trump is ensuring that China can no longer avoid applicable tariffs simply by exporting packages with relatively low values [...] The effect of increased abuse of the de minimis privilege has been to deny the U.S. Government collection of billions of dollars in additional revenues while unfairly disadvantaging American manufacturers."

Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement

Donald Trumppresident

The flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl to the United States through both illicit distribution networks and international mail—due, in the case of the latter, to the existing administrative exemption from duty and taxes, also known as de minimis [...] has created a public health crisis in the United States."

Donald Trump wrote in a February 1 executive order

The expectation is you'll be paying more as a consumer, and it may take a little longer to reach you,

she said