Post Luxembourg is suspending shipments of parcels via postal networks to the United States from Saturday 23 August, the postal service said on Friday.
Post issued the warning, saying it is offering private and business customers an alternative via a partnership with logistics company DHL.
The move follows uncertainty over the decision by the US to abolish the long-standing “de minimis” customs duty exemption previously applicable to shipments valued at up to $800. The new rules come into force on 29 August.
“The technical details of this reform were only published by US customs in mid-August, and several operational and technical points remain unclear in the official guidelines,” Post Luxembourg said in a press release.
It is now offering both private and business customers a solution via the DHL international express network, which is available in post offices and Espaces POST sales points. “It is not available at ‘Points POST’ located at partner locations,” the company said.
Postal services in other European countries are also suspending their parcel service. Belgium’s leading postal operator Bpos temporarily stopped accepting parcels bound for the US on Thursday, while postal companies in Germany, Austria and the Scandinavian and Baltic countries have also halted their parcel shipments.
Post Luxembourg stressed that the new rules apply exclusively to parcels. “The sending of documents by post remains possible without restriction,” it said. Letters can also continue to be mailed at all official Post Luxembourg outlets, including the Points Post partner locations.
According to the Financial Times, “the White House said that between 2015 and 2024, the volume of de minimis shipments entering the US increased from 134 million to more than 1.36 billion”.