Starting on Saturday 30 August, import duties will be charged on small parcels (goods worth less than €800) shipped to the United States. This measure has already led 25 countries (including Belgium) to temporarily suspend parcel shipments to the US.
For American consumers, this means they will have to pay more for small orders shipped abroad in the future.
Earlier this year, the US announced that the exemption was being abolished for parcels from China, and now the rest of the world is following suit. US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on this matter at the end of July. According to him, the measure was being abused to ship "synthetic drugs and other dangerous products" to the US.
Parcels worth more than $100 will therefore be subject to at least a 10% import duty. Parcels from the EU will be subject to a 15% duty, and from India and Brazil, the duty will be as high as 50%.
Bpost announced last week that it would temporarily suspend shipments to the US due to uncertainty surrounding these US regulations. According to the company, it was not yet clear how the taxes would be calculated and collected. It is unknown when bpost will resume shipments.
The postal services of other countries, such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan, have also announced that they will temporarily suspend small shipments to the US.
