Australia and Japan have become the latest countries to suspend certain parcel deliveries to the United States, after President Donald Trump’s administration scrapped a long-standing exemption that allowed packages worth under $800 to enter the US without duties.

The so-called “de minimis” exemption is set to officially end on Friday. In response, Australia Post said on Tuesday it would implement a “temporary partial suspension”.

The postal operator said parcels sent to the US and Puerto Rico from Tuesday onwards would no longer be accepted until further notice. However, gifts under $100, letters and documents are not affected.

Australia Post added it was “disappointed” but said the move was necessary “due to the complex and rapidly evolving situation”.

Japan Post made a similar announcement on Monday, citing unclear procedures for customs operators that made the implementation “difficult”.

Australian public broadcaster ABC reported that some exporters had already stopped shipments. Logistics company Shippit said it had recorded a 36 percent decline in shipments from Australia to the US since April.

The suspensions by Australia and Japan follow similar announcements last week from several European postal services, including those in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, France, Austria and the United Kingdom.

The UK’s Royal Mail confirmed it would stop sending parcels to the US starting Tuesday to ensure packages already in transit arrive before new tariffs take effect.

DHL, Europe’s largest shipping provider, warned that “key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out”.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched a sweeping tariff campaign, often targeting specific countries or products, creating confusion for global shippers.

He had already ended the “de minimis” exemption for China and Hong Kong in May, closing a loophole widely used by fast-fashion firms like Shein and Temu to send duty-free goods to US customers.

A new tax and spending bill signed by Trump has now repealed the legal basis for the “de minimis” exemption worldwide starting July 1, 2027.

Going forward, goods shipped through postal systems will face one of two tariffs:

• An ad valorem duty equal to the effective tariff rate of the package’s origin country, or
• For six months, a flat tariff of $80–$200, depending on that country’s rate.