Global postal services including Royal Mail and DHL are pausing shipping to the US over uncertainty around the upcoming scrapping of the “de minimis” rule.

Royal Mail halted shipments to the US on 26 August to enable parcels to arrive before the US axes the “de minimis” duty-exemption rule for shipments worth under £596 on 29 August.

The company said it hoped to have a new system implemented within two days to enable it to comply with the new regulations before they came into place.

Royal Mail said: “We have been working hard with US authorities and international partners to adapt our services to meet the new US de minimis requirements so UK consumers and businesses can continue to use our services when they come into effect.

“We have temporarily paused existing services to the USA from today (Tuesday 26 August 2025) while we put a new service in place. Consumers sending gifts worth less than $100 will not have to pay duty.”

DHL stopped accepting business customer packages to the US on 23 August, a statement on its website explained.

Goods produced in the UK valued over £74.20 ($100) are set to incur a 10% tariff, following the UK-US trade deal on 8 May. Parcels worth less than £74.20 will remain duty free.

Other service providers that have paused deliveries to the US before the tariff launch include Deutsche Post, Correos and Poste Italiane.

The news comes as President Trump’s tariff overhaul has introduced new challenges for retailers with a significant UK presence, particularly those in the fashion sector.

Earlier this month, Amazon warned it might not hit market expectations on its operating income, over fears Trump’s tariffs would impact its ecommerce operations.

In April, JD Sports also cautioned that its year ahead would be challenging due to market volatility and tariff uncertainty.

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