International mail to the United States has plunged by more than 80% in one week after the Trump administration ended a long-abused tax exemption on small packages, prompting widespread suspensions of postal services around the world, according to the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
In late July, the U.S. government announced it would revoke duty-free treatment for low-value parcels entering the country. The change, which took effect Aug. 29, has rattled global logistics networks and forced dozens of national postal operators to halt or scale back shipments to the U.S.
The UPU, a United Nations agency that oversees global postal cooperation, said 88 postal operators have either fully or partially suspended service to the U.S. Among them are major national carriers, including Germany’s Deutsche Post, Britain’s Royal Mail, and postal authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Postal services in India, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.K. are no longer accepting most U.S.-bound parcels, citing logistical disruptions and uncertainty over customs processing under the new tariff regime.
According to UPU data, postal traffic to the U.S. on Aug. 29 fell 81% compared with the previous week. “Furthermore, 88 postal operators informed the UPU they have suspended some or all postal services to the US until a solution is implemented,” the agency said in a statement.
Hellbound and Down 