Donald Trump signed an executive order ending the ‘de minimus’ rule, which allowed packages carrying goods worth less than $800 to enter the US duty free. And in return, countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Japan — just recently joining the growing list — have opted to cut off mailing service to the US completely.
Trump has signed some pretty unfavorable executive orders lately, but this started out as somewhat at least worth the debate. In some circles, the ‘de minimus’ rule was seen as a loophole for companies to get around regulation. And for the most part, the rule was already ended for China and Hong Kong. But it was recently cut to every other country, regardless of pre-existing trade relationships with the US.
This led to shipping and parcel companies from all over the world, such as DHL Group from Germany and La Poste from France, pausing some shipments to the US. This is now an added financial burden to the shipping companies, with ever-increasing tariffs being part of the equation in the new reality of doing business with the US. However, the shipping companies have assured that the issue causing them to pause shipments is not just tariffs, but also a lack of clarity in the new executive orders.
NPR reports DHL released a statement that read in part, “Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out.”
DHL says that the more expensive DHL Express will remain an option for Americans, however. La Poste and Spain’s Correos postal service are also suspending their shipments until there is more clarification on how the new system will work. The UK’s Royal Mail has, however, taken a more diplomatic route with Trump’s administration, predicting that the issue will be resolved in a matter of days — which certainly aligns with how the UK has been dealing with Trump in his second term.
Online, users on X felt a little more strongly about these latest moves by foreign nations suspending their mailing services to the US. One user saw Japan join the growing list of countries and called it a “diplomatic middle finger” to the Trump administration. One commenter was deflated and said that America First is becoming America Last for the rest of the world. Another user was curious if this now means Americans cannot send or receive anything from any of those countries.
America first has become America last for the rest of the world
— Lawrence Fitzgerald (@lwfitzgerald) August 26, 2025
So we can't send or receive anything from these countries via mail?
— Challenge Your Beliefs (@ChallengeBelief) August 26, 2025
That’s not quite the case. It’s just going to be more expensive. But there is a caveat: if you’re sending a package with goods worth $100 or less, that can still be sent duty free. But the package has to be between two individuals and not from a business in a foreign country. The push to end ‘de minimus’ actually had bipartisan support, and the Biden administration also pushed to end it with concerns about the regulation of drugs. But under the Trump administration, the issue was more about how ‘de minimus’ could be used to bypass tariffs.
Regardless, much like other Trump directives, the issue here is the haphazard way he’s enforcing it.
