Australia Post says it will suspend the delivery of parcels to the United States in response to ongoing changes to customs and import tariff rules.
Australia’s national postal service says the suspension of services is temporary, but will remain “until further notice” and is effective as of Aug. 26.
The service says the suspension will impact Business Contract, MyPost Business and retail customers sending goods through the postal network.
Gifts valued at less than US$100, as well as letters and documents can still be sent from Australia.
In an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump this year, the administration announced it would eliminate the long-standing “de minimis” tariff exemption which has allowed postal items valued under US$800 to enter America duty free.
Under the Trump administration’s system, duties for U.S.-bound items will need be paid in the country of origin—a system Australia Post is not currently equipped to handle.
A number of postal service providers across Europe and Asia have also suspended parcel deliveries to the States as they work to establish new systems.
Gary Starr, Australia Post’s executive general manager of parcel and e-commerce services, said the company was working with Zonos, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) third party provider, to offer services that will allow the resumption of all parcel deliveries.
Customers will be informed on when the changes go live.
“Australia Post is focused on providing a reliable and competitive postal service for customers sending parcels internationally,” Starr said in a statement.
“Guidance from CBP has only recently been issued and, like more than 190 other postal providers, we’ve been working at pace to find a solution.
“We are disappointed we have had to take this action, however, due to the complex and rapidly evolving situation, a temporary partial suspension has been necessary to allow us to develop and implement a workable solution for our customers.”
Starr said resumption of services was a priority.
The temporary partial suspension includes services to Puerto Rico, as it is a U.S. Customs territory and has also been impacted by tariff changes.
Despite the changes, the United States is not alone in charging duties on postal items—many other nations have similar policies.
In 2021, the European Union abolished its de minimis exemption for value-added tax, which all goods valued at more than 150 euros are subject to.
In Canada, the threshold on most products is 20 Canadian dollars.
New Zealand collects a goods and services tax on almost all imported goods.
Customers seeking an update can check the Australia Post website or call 13 POST (13 7678).
