European shippers cut U.S. off as tariff deadline nears

European shippers cut U.S. off as tariff deadline nears

A number of European postal agencies have started pausing or cutting off shipments to the U.S., citing uncertainty over the end of the so-called de minimis tariff exemption this week.

Why it matters: 

Small-dollar commerce — and gift-giving — could grind to a halt in the coming days, threatening the flow of hundreds of millions of packages a year.

Catch up quick: In late July, President Trump formally revoked the de minimis exemption, which excluded packages worth $800 or less from tariffs.

He'd previously lifted the exemption for packages from China; as of August 29, it goes away for all other countries, too.

Zoom out: Many European carriers, citing uncertainty about the new rules and a lack of time to create enforcement mechanisms, have opted to pause sending packages to the U.S. altogether.

PostEurop, a trade group for the continent's national postal operators, listed at least 16 as of Sunday that intend to pause or restrict shipments to the U.S. due to the new regulations.

Read more:

https://www.axios.com/2025/08/24/trump-tariffs-de-minimis-europe