The United States Postal Service resumed accepting inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong less than 12 hours after announcing a suspension. USPS said it would continue taking all international mail and packages while working with US Customs and Border Protection on a system to collect newly imposed tariffs with minimal disruption to deliveries.
The original notice stopped packages but did not affect letters or flat mail. USPS did not initially explain the pause. Its reversal connected the operational issue to tariff collection, saying the two agencies were developing an efficient mechanism for the new China duties. The supplied evidence does not state how many parcels were delayed, whether any were returned or what procedures postal operators adopted during the suspension.
The interruption followed the Trump administration's decision to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods and end the de minimis exemption for low-value imports from China. That exemption had allowed goods valued below $800 to enter without the same customs charges. The Department of Homeland Security said the new tariff also applied to products from Hong Kong.
Small-package commerce made the procedural change consequential for online retail. A 2023 US government report said Shein and Temu together accounted for 30% of small parcels entering the United States. The temporary halt was therefore expected to affect direct-to-consumer orders, potentially including transactions through major marketplaces, although the evidence does not quantify any company's losses or delivery backlog.
China's Foreign Ministry criticized the US measures. Spokesperson Lin Jian urged Washington not to politicize trade and said Beijing would defend Chinese companies. China also initiated a dispute at the World Trade Organization over the US levies and announced retaliatory measures, including tariffs on American energy, vehicles and machinery and export controls involving several metals and chemicals.
The postal reversal occurred within a broader exchange of trade restrictions. China placed 15% levies on US coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% duties on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-engine vehicles and pickup trucks. President Donald Trump had imposed the new Chinese tariff while temporarily delaying threatened 25% duties on Mexico and Canada after those governments offered additional border measures.
USPS's rapid change showed the difference between a trade-policy decision and the systems required to administer it across a high-volume parcel network. The service did not rescind the tariff or restore the de minimis exemption; it restored acceptance while customs collection arrangements were being implemented. The available sources establish the short duration, scope and stated coordination plan, but leave the cost, processing time and long-term impact on consumers unresolved.
