If you have been eyeing something from overseas, you may want to click “buy now” today.
Postal services operated by Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium — Posten Bring, PostNord, and bpost — said they will suspend parcel shipments to the US ahead of the end of a customs exemption that allows low-value packages to enter the country duty-free.
The conundrum facing postal operators comes as the Trump administration prepares to suspend the “de minimis” exemption starting on August 29. The exemption used to allow international shipments under $800 to cross the border with minimal paperwork and no duties.
Now, these shipments will face tariffs, and not every operator can handle the customs declaration paperwork, have a payment mechanism in place, or be responsible for returns should a receiver refuse to pay tariffs. It’s unclear when the temporary freeze on shipments will resume.
“Due to the short timeframe to adapt to the new specific requirements, PostNord will temporarily halt shipments to the United States and Puerto Rico until a compliant solution has been developed and implemented,” wrote the operator owned by the Swedish and Danish governments in a statement on Wednesday.
Separately, Posten Bring, Norway’s primary postal provider operated by the government, said in a statement that postal services have not been given clear instructions and solutions on how the duties will be paid or who would be responsible for returns. Therefore, Posten Bring sees suspension as the “only option.”
All three European postal services will suspend shipments starting August 23, which applies to all packages other than letters. This means that if you have a pending purchase that is not shipped by the deadline, your seller may need to cancel your order or arrange alternatives.
But even if you’re not purchasing from these specific European countries, your shopping options might still dwindle and become more costly.
Etsy, the US e-commerce giant and a hub for independent crafters, posted a notice Wednesday that shipping label purchases for Australia Post, Canada Post, Evri, and Royal Mail for US-bound packages will be temporarily suspended starting August 25.
Etsy wrote in a statement that these operators are unable to support prepaid duties at the moment, which may result in a large number of rejected packages due to unpaid duties and surprise costs for buyers not listed at checkout.
Across social media platforms, many independent sellers based in the UK are also announcing that they can no longer support orders to the US, citing the introduction of an $80 flat fee plus handling charges for using Royal Mail to ship parcels to the US.
“We hope to resume shipping as soon as we can, but we really don’t want our customers to be hit with an $80+ fee,” wrote the Citrine Circle, a UK-based crystal shop, on Instagram. “It feels like the world is getting smaller and smaller.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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