Postal traffic to US drops more than 80% after trade exemption rule ends, UN agency says

"The U.N.'s Universal Postal Union (UPU) said the global postal network saw postal traffic enroute to the U.S. "come to a near halt" after Aug. 29, 2025, when the "de minimis" trade exemption that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to be exempt from tariffs ended. Data between postal operators shows that traffic dropped 81% on Aug. 29 compared to a week earlier, the union said."

"The UPU also said it is working on ways to get traffic flowing back to the country. "The UPU has in its mission the responsibility to guarantee the free circulation of postal items over a single postal territory. We're working to uphold that responsibility with the rapid development of a new technical solution that will help get mail moving to the United States again," UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki said in a statement."

Postal traffic to the U.S. fell sharply after the de minimis trade exemption ended on Aug. 29, 2025. Traffic between postal operators dropped 81% on Aug. 29 compared with a week earlier. The de minimis rule had exempted small packages under $800 from tariffs, and its suspension makes all imports subject to duties based on origin. At least 88 postal operators have suspended some or all services to the United States. The change was defended as a measure to reduce counterfeit goods, fentanyl shipments, and the trade deficit. The Universal Postal Union is developing a technical solution to restore mail flows.

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