Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
I did find news from the Austrian Post stopping shipment to the US.
Deutsche Post / DHL are currently only noting that shipping times will be longer
due to changes in US customs as far as i can see. I can't say if other postal
services are having similar issues. But we will take a close look on the situation
as it developes.
Thanks for the heads up
Christian
novabrick-team
PS: I just found this from Deutsche Post
Neue Einfuhrbestimmungen beeinträchtigen Postdienste : Nach Informationen, die
Everstream Analytics am 11. August erhalten hat, hat die Deutsche Post AG die
Einführung neuer Einfuhrbestimmungen bestätigt, wonach offene oder geschlossene
Transitsendungen mit Waren, die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind, nicht
mehr angenommen werden. Alle Transit- oder fehlgeleiteten Sendungen mit Waren,
die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind und in den internationalen Postverarbeitungszentren
der Deutschen Post eintreffen, werden an den Absender zurückgeschickt. Die Änderung
tritt am 20. August in Kraft.
In Taxes, coloredbricks writes:
Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
I did find news from the Austrian Post stopping shipment to the US.
Deutsche Post / DHL are currently only noting that shipping times will be longer
due to changes in US customs as far as i can see. I can't say if other postal
services are having similar issues. But we will take a close look on the situation
as it developes.
Thanks for the heads up
Christian
novabrick-team
PS: I just found this from Deutsche Post
Neue Einfuhrbestimmungen beeinträchtigen Postdienste : Nach Informationen, die
Everstream Analytics am 11. August erhalten hat, hat die Deutsche Post AG die
Einführung neuer Einfuhrbestimmungen bestätigt, wonach offene oder geschlossene
Transitsendungen mit Waren, die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind, nicht
mehr angenommen werden. Alle Transit- oder fehlgeleiteten Sendungen mit Waren,
die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind und in den internationalen Postverarbeitungszentren
der Deutschen Post eintreffen, werden an den Absender zurückgeschickt. Die Änderung
tritt am 20. August in Kraft.
In Taxes, coloredbricks writes:
Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
Not sure what you mean by this, surely they are simply paid when the person picks
up their package at the p.o.?
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
Not sure what you mean by this, surely they are simply paid when the person picks
up their package at the p.o.?
1. Most of us don't pick up our packages.
2. Your average post office isn't set up to process these on a heavy volume
of items.
3. Many US people have no idea what customs are or why they would be expected
to pay them.
4. I've lived here all my life and ordered stuff from overseas frequently
and have never encountered one.
Yes, if every package from anywhere will cause a payment due, the systems will
crash.
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
Not sure what you mean by this, surely they are simply paid when the person picks
up their package at the p.o.?
1. Most of us don't pick up our packages.
2. Your average post office isn't set up to process these on a heavy volume
of items.
3. Many US people have no idea what customs are or why they would be expected
to pay them.
4. I've lived here all my life and ordered stuff from overseas frequently
and have never encountered one.
I confirm this is messy.
Here we ARE used to pay for VAT + duties, to simplify: "tax on import".
While people are supposed to know here, some simply don't accept the shipment,
and make the shipping bounce back.
The others may have to pre-pay for this on line (a few years recent service of
la Poste) after receiving an e-mail.
If not then you've to pay to the Postman himself, in cash for small amounts,
or using a Bank Check (still valid here).
If not then the remaining solution is to go to the post office where you can
pay by credit/debit card.
If still not paid, after a week or such the parcel is shipped back.
I asked chatGPT for some estimation:
Estimated Percentage of Rejected Parcels Due to VAT/Customs Fees
While official numbers are rarely published in detail, various reports and statements
by postal services, customs authorities, and logistics companies suggest the
following approximation:
5% to 15% of imported parcels addressed to private individuals are rejected or
abandoned due to:
Unpaid VAT or customs duties
Confusing or difficult payment procedures
Unwillingness to pay fees (especially if the buyer thought shipping was "free"
or already covered)
Breakdown of the causes (based on informal data and reports):
Don't want to pay / feel scammed:
~40-50% of rejected parcels
These are buyers who didn't expect VAT/duties, often from marketplaces like
AliExpress, eBay, or direct Chinese sellers.
Cannot pay (procedural / technical):
~20-30%
Some users, especially older or less tech-savvy, fail to navigate the online
customs payment system (e.g., La Poste, DHL, etc.).
Legitimate financial difficulty / cost too high:
~20%
Sometimes the total cost (VAT + handling fees) is nearly equal to or exceeds
the value of the item itself.
Other (absent recipient, address errors, etc.):
~10%
Not always related to customs but still causes parcel return.
I did find news from the Austrian Post stopping shipment to the US.
Deutsche Post / DHL are currently only noting that shipping times will be longer
due to changes in US customs as far as i can see. I can't say if other postal
services are having similar issues. But we will take a close look on the situation
as it developes.
Thanks for the heads up
Christian
novabrick-team
PS: I just found this from Deutsche Post
Neue Einfuhrbestimmungen beeinträchtigen Postdienste : Nach Informationen, die
Everstream Analytics am 11. August erhalten hat, hat die Deutsche Post AG die
Einführung neuer Einfuhrbestimmungen bestätigt, wonach offene oder geschlossene
Transitsendungen mit Waren, die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind, nicht
mehr angenommen werden. Alle Transit- oder fehlgeleiteten Sendungen mit Waren,
die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind und in den internationalen Postverarbeitungszentren
der Deutschen Post eintreffen, werden an den Absender zurückgeschickt. Die Änderung
tritt am 20. August in Kraft.
In Taxes, coloredbricks writes:
Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
I agree with you. But given I have adopted a system which includes these pending
changes and have not had an issue with my last 500 transactions over several
platforms I will continued to ship to the USA and not alienate the US people.
If this changes (and it could) I will only accept an Order after a Request a
Quote process
I did find news from the Austrian Post stopping shipment to the US.
Deutsche Post / DHL are currently only noting that shipping times will be longer
due to changes in US customs as far as i can see. I can't say if other postal
services are having similar issues. But we will take a close look on the situation
as it developes.
Thanks for the heads up
Christian
novabrick-team
PS: I just found this from Deutsche Post
Neue Einfuhrbestimmungen beeinträchtigen Postdienste : Nach Informationen, die
Everstream Analytics am 11. August erhalten hat, hat die Deutsche Post AG die
Einführung neuer Einfuhrbestimmungen bestätigt, wonach offene oder geschlossene
Transitsendungen mit Waren, die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind, nicht
mehr angenommen werden. Alle Transit- oder fehlgeleiteten Sendungen mit Waren,
die für die Vereinigten Staaten bestimmt sind und in den internationalen Postverarbeitungszentren
der Deutschen Post eintreffen, werden an den Absender zurückgeschickt. Die Änderung
tritt am 20. August in Kraft.
In Taxes, coloredbricks writes:
Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
Just because there’s a good number of orders that will return because of unpaid
tarriffs, most Canadian store will stop selling to the USA. There’s no way they
have the infrastructure to collect tarriffs on hundreds of thousands of parcel
per day in such a short notice. So we’re on standby.
I agree with you. But given I have adopted a system which includes these pending
changes and have not had an issue with my last 500 transactions over several
platforms I will continued to ship to the USA and not alienate the US people.
If this changes (and it could) I will only accept an Order after a Request a
Quote process
I wish you the best of luck and hope to return shipping there soon. If you can
share how it goes in this thread after it takes affect later this month, it could
be very helpful
Czech post also will suspend parcel deliveries to the US from tomorrow.
In Taxes, coloredbricks writes:
Several European postal services suspend parcel deliveries to the US
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services. For the time being, some companies
are no longer delivering parcels to the US:
- Due to the short timeframe for adapting to the new requirements, PostNord,
which is owned by Sweden and Denmark, is temporarily suspending deliveries.
- The new US customs regulations currently make it impossible for Austrian Post
to continue sending goods to America, according to the company. The last chance
to send parcels is next week.
The short-term abolition of a US customs exemption for low-value parcels is causing
difficulties for European postal services.
I thought it's USPS that is having the difficulties? Nothing has changed
from our side, they are the ones that have to go through everything and collect
all the tariffs. PostNL also discontinued parcel shipping to US, because of USPS
not having the capacity to do all this. Or that's their statement, anyway.
So, too bad. No shipping to the US. Another country off the list...
Temporarily Suspended Postal Companies
1. bpost (Belgium)
Effective from: August 23, 2025
Scope: Pausing parcel shipments containing goods to the U.S.; letters without
goods remain unaffected
Reason: Short timeframe for adapting systems, unclear processes for customs duties
collection, and lack of guidance from U.S. authorities
International Post Corporation
2. Posten Bring (Norway)
Status: Temporarily halting parcel shipments to the U.S.
Reason: Same overarching issues—uncertainty in procedures and payment systems,
insufficient time to implement changes
3. PostNord (Sweden-Denmark)
Status: Pausing U.S.-bound parcel services
Reason: Aligns with other European posts facing difficulties adapting to new
U.S. customs requirements
4. Austrian Post
Effective from: Starting next Tuesday after August 21, 2025
Scope: Standard parcel shipments to U.S. suspended; however, gifts under $100
may still be shipped, and their premium Post Express International service remains
operational
Reason: Removing the de minimis rule and lack of clear duty-collection systems
5. Other European Postal Operators
Many members of PostEurop (the association of European postal operators) have
warned or preemptively implemented restrictions on U.S. parcel shipments—if no
compliant solution is found by August 29, more may follow
In their recent announcement Royal Mail have said they are pausing US shipping
on 26th and introducing a new service on the 29th.
This service will include collection of duties for US customs charged at the
tariff % (IEEPA rate) as opposed to the flat fee, which they’ve said they will
not do. So essentially as the US administration does not want to appear that
they are taxing their citizens, it looks like it’s down to the sellers to add
these to each order or take the hit.
I’ll attach the relevant section below as written in their recent announcement
“Shipping to the USA”.
I imagine most other postal services will do similar.
———-
The benefits of using our postal services to the USA?
For postal imports into the USA, items will be assessed for duties using the
country-specific tariffs (known as IEEPA tariffs) . These tariffs work as a %
applicable to the value of goods based on the item/s country of origin (manufacture).
For example, items with a UK country of origin, will incur a 10% tariff on the
value of those items.
Royal Mail will only have duties assessed using country-specific tariffs (IEEPA).
This is the most cost-effective method for our customers.
With this simplified tariff approach, available only to Postal Operators, the
levels of duties applicable to goods is likely to be lower than alternatives.
Royal Mail is working closely with the US authorities and international partners
to manage the impact of these changes which will affect everyone who sends goods
to the USA.
Moving from using our exisitng services to the new PDDP services?
The new USA requirements are effective from Friday 29th August 2025.
We are planning to withdraw our existing USA export services on Tuesday 26th
August 2025. We recommend customers do not send items using existing services
from this date, to allow enough time for them to reach US customs before the
new requirements become effective.
We are planning a short period (1-2 days) between the withdrawal of existing
services and new PDDP services being available to allow us to process and ship
all items sent using existing services into the USA before 29th August.
We expect the new USA PDDP account services set out below to be available for
our customers on Royal Mail shipping solutions from Thursday 28th August 2025.
PDDP Product Codes and Specifications
If you already use Royal Mail export services to the USA, then you don’t need
to do anything to get the PDDP product codes. We’ll add these product codes to
your account over the weekend of 24-25th August. We will also add two supplementary
codes (CUO and CUE) which we’ll use to invoice duties and taxes in association
with the PDDP service.
Germany, Baden-Württemberg
Canada, Quebec
USA, Tennessee
France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Czech Republic, Moravskoslezský Kraj
Netherlands, Utrecht
Belgium
United Kingdom, England