DHL will now suspend consumer shipments ‘from any origin' that are over $800 because of a tariff-induced backlog at U.S. customs
DHL won't deliver packages to U.S. consumers that have a value above $800 'until further notice,' according to a company statement. The freeze is the result of delays in getting packages through U.S. customs owing to President Donald Trump's tariff policy.
The multinational logistics and shipping company DHL said it would suspend shipments of over $800 to consumers in the U.S. because of delays in getting packages through customs.
DHL, which is a subsidiary of the German Deutsche Post, said the suspension was the result of recent changes to U.S. customs regulations that lowered the minimum value at which parcels required formal processing, according to a statement. New regulations that went into effect April 5 lowered the threshold from $2,500 to $800.
'This change has caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock,' DHL said in a statement announcing the pause.
In order to address the issue, DHL will halt shipments starting Monday, April 21, 'from any origin' that exceed the $800 limit 'until further notice,' a company spokesperson told Fortune in an email.
The change to DHL's policy won't affect business-to-business shipments or deliveries to consumers that are less than $800, according to the company spokesperson. That said, DHL did warn even packages exempt from its shipping freeze could be subject to days-long delays regardless of where they come from because of the backlog at U.S. customs.
Earlier this month, HongKong Post, the city's postal service, said it would suspend mail services for goods sent to the U.S. by sea starting April 27. HongKong Post cited the U.S.'s recent tariff policy and cancellation of the 'de minimis' provision that exempts deliveries to consumers valued at under $800 from having to go through customs. As of May 2, the U.S. will eliminate that exemption. Instead, those packages will now be subject to a 90% tariff or a flat fee of $75.
Removing the de minimis provision was widely seen as a move targeting Chinese retailers that are popular with American shoppers. Companies like Temu and Shein that sell cheap, mass-market products would be hit especially hard by the new policy. Both companies said they would have no choice but to raise prices in response to the upcoming tariffs.
The tariffs for mail are part of a broader trade war between the U.S. and China. Both countries have levied massive tariffs on each other over the past couple of weeks. The trade tensions kicked off when President Trump announced a set of sweeping tariffs on the vast majority of the U.S.'s trading partners. He then paused those tariffs on all countries except for China, which he subjected to a 145% tariff. The Chinese government replied with a 125% tariff of its own.
HongKong Post directly attributed its move to suspend deliveries as a direct result of the U.S.'s new trade policy, which it called 'unreasonable and bullying.' It added that it did not want to contribute to the U.S.'s tariff policy.
'Hongkong Post will definitely not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the U.S.,' it noted, in a statement issued last week.
Update, April 21, 2025: This article has been updated to include comments from DHL.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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