US ends duty-free for parcels from all over the world

USA ends duty-free for parcels from all over the world Keystone-SDA

Since Friday, the United States has abolished duty-free imports of goods with a value of less than $800 (CHF640).

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President Donald Trump had initially cancelled the exemption for China, and at the end of July also ordered the end of duty-free treatment for parcels from all over the world.

Postal service providers in numerous countries such as Switzerland, France, India and Australia have therefore announced that they will no longer accept most parcels destined for the US. The parcel service DHL also announced that it would massively restrict the shipment of goods to the US.

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One of the reasons Trump gave for the move was that dangerous drugs had been smuggled into the US on a large scale in duty-free parcels under the de minimis rule. In recent years, duty-free parcel deliveries have risen sharply thanks to platforms such as Temu and Shein.

Fewer parcels after China stop

After the duty-free status for low-value parcels from China was abolished in May, the number of such shipments to the US fell from four million a day to one million, according to government figures. In addition, customs duties totalling $492 million have been levied on the parcels since then.

According to the US government, however, Chinese shippers are seeking detours via other countries. This has made it necessary to extend the measure to parcels from all over the world. According to the rules in force since Friday, the goods must be subject to the applicable US customs duties for the country of origin, or alternatively a fee of $80 to $200 for a transitional period of six months. There is an exception for “genuine” gifts worth less than $100.

According to the US government, more than 90% of de minimis parcels are transported by express delivery companies such as FedEx or UPS. No problems are expected with shipping here.

The White House has harsh words for regular postal services that have restricted shipping to the US in view of the new regulation. They should rather make sure that more information about the contents of the parcels is collected and shared with the US authorities, said a senior government official in Washington. If they gave up shipping to the US instead, express providers would simply take over their business.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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