Royal Mail will stop accepting parcels heading for the USA due to the impact of Trump’s new tariffs. From today, shipments will be suspended until a new service is launched, which will include an extra fee.
Royal Mail is not the only postal service operator to do this across Europe. Donald Trump signed an order last month to scrap a tax exemption that allowed goods worth $800 or less to enter the USA duty-free. The exemption will be removed on Friday, August 29.
The new taxes will only apply to goods bought and sold; gifts and goods sent between family and friends will be exempt, reports The Telegraph.
Royal Mail will be launching a new service for shipping to the US and it is expected to be available from Thursday. Postal services must comply with the new regulations.
The provider will add a 50p per parcel handling charge to cover the additional costs associated with providing clearance services into the US.
It said cards and letters could continue to be posted as usual, reports BBC. The new tariffs are expected to have a huge impact on e-commerce companies and small businesses.
The level of the tariff will depend on which country the products have been sent from.
Items originating from the UK will be subject to a 10% tariff, while those from the EU will be hit with a 15% levy.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We have been working hard with US authorities and international partners to adapt our services to meet the new US de minimis requirements so UK consumers and businesses can continue to use our services when they come into effect.
“Consumers sending gifts worth less than $100 will not have to pay duty.”
The US had a so-called de minimis exemption on packages worth up to $800, which allowed consumers to buy cheap clothing and household goods from sites such as Shein and Temu without paying import duties.
But the duty-free rule on Chinese goods ended in May, and is now being extended to the rest of the word.
