Customs duties are not just a case of major exporters. After several of its European counterparts, La Poste announced, Friday, August 22, the suspension from August 25, parcel expeditions to the United States, a consequence of the hardening of American customs procedures.
The presidential decree (executive order) Signed on July 30 by Donald Trump deletes, as of August 29, the so -called “minimis” exemption, which until then exempt from customs duties the shipments of goods with a value less than or equal to 800 dollars (around 690 euros). These goods will therefore now be taxed like any other product, or up to 15 % if they come from the European Union.
“Only gifts between individuals of less than $ 100 will be maintained, not being affected by this tax”specifies La Poste, which so far sent 1.6 million packages per year to the United States, 20 % shipped by individuals, so far.
The American measure initially aimed at expeditions from China and Hong Kong, as part of the Trump administration offensive targeting the online commerce Shein and Temu. But the White House has chosen to generalize it “Whatever the value, the country of origin, the mode of transport and the entry method” parcel to ensure its effectiveness.
American customs only clarified on August 15 the technical procedures for applying this decision. “Despite discussions with the American customs services, no delay has been granted to postal operators to organize and ensure the computer developments necessary for compliance with the new rules set”regrets La Poste.
The American decision applies to any shipment entering the territory of the United States from August 29, which forced the shippers to anticipate its entry into force of a few days to take into account the delivery time.
France is not the only European country concerned: before La Poste, several European postal operators had announced similar decisions, like the Belgian Bpost, the German Deutsche Post or the Spanish Correos. However, the suspension does not concern “express” shipments, those provided by Chronopost, a subsidiary of La Poste, or by specialized private groups such as Fedex or UPS.