(Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
If you use Temu or Shein, brace for higher prices and shipment delays. The US Postal Service is preparing to place import duties on all inbound packages from China and Hong Kong to follow Trump’s new tariff policy.
The USPS announced the news on Wednesday, hours after it abruptly halted all inbound packages from China and Hong Kong — or what looked like a major disruption to Chinese e-commerce providers Temu, Shein, and AliExpress.
All three offer low-cost goods from China. They have avoided US tariffs thanks to an obscure trade loophole called the De Minimis Tax Exemption, which lets US consumers receive foreign packages duty-free — so long as they’re valued at under $800.
But this past weekend, President Trump scrapped the de minimis exemption for all goods coming from China as he placed a 10% tariff on the country. The new tariff policy went into effect on Tuesday, which apparently caused USPS to suspend all packages from China as it mulled how to tariff packages from the country.
In an update, USPS then announced: "Effective February 5, 2025, the Postal Service will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts. The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery."
When contacted, the USPS didn't provide any new information, so it’s unclear how it’ll collect the tariffs. Still, the USPS' statement also suggests disruptions could occur for inbound packages. One Congressional report found that Temu and Shein alone accounted for more than 30% of all packages shipped to the US under the de minimis exemption, according to the Associated Press.
So far, Temu hasn’t commented on the news. It continues to accept online orders, though some US consumers are canceling their orders over fears they won’t receive their packages.