If you’ve recently ordered something from overseas, you may want to check your tracking number quickly. A growing number of countries are hitting pause on small package shipments to the U.S., and the window to receive your order is rapidly closing.
The reason? A major shift in U.S. trade policy is about to go into effect. And it’s already causing global ripple effects.
At least 25 countries — including close allies like Japan, Australia, and nearly all of Europe — are suspending some of their shipments to the United States. The sudden freeze is linked to the end of the “de minimis” exemption, a decades-old rule that let packages valued under $800 enter the U.S. without being taxed.
That rule is now on its way out.
President Trump signed an executive order late last month to eliminate the exemption across the board. China was hit first, triggering price hikes and shipping changes from budget-friendly retailers like Shein and Temu. Now, the same restriction is set to take effect for every other country, and Friday is the deadline.
For everyday Americans and small business owners, this means the way we’ve bought overseas goods for years is about to change — possibly overnight.
25 countries incl France, Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Australia & Japan have stopped sending parcels to the US after Trump’s tariff move ended duty-free exemptions.
This has created chaos in global trade, with even allies halting services until new customs rules are clear. pic.twitter.com/kAD32f0YAU
— SaffronSoul (@TheRealDharm) August 27, 2025
The timing couldn’t be worse for shoppers. People who ordered earlier this month are finding their packages stuck. Shippers are holding items that haven’t yet left the country, concerned they won’t arrive before the cutoff and unsure how tariffs will apply once they land.
Even personal packages and gifts could be affected, depending on the sending country’s limits. For example, while letters and low-value personal shipments may still get through, most commercial orders under $800 — the bread and butter of online international shopping — will no longer slip in duty-free.
Some of the world’s biggest logistics companies are now scrambling. FedEx and other major shippers are trying to fill the gap, rerouting and reprocessing shipments where possible. But there’s no guarantee that supply chains will adapt quickly — or that prices won’t spike in the process.
And here’s where it gets tricky.
Many foreign sellers haven’t built infrastructure to handle U.S. tariffs. They’ve relied on the de minimis rule to keep prices low and shipping simple. Without that rule, they’re now either backing out of the U.S. market or passing the extra cost along to American consumers.
For people who have grown used to browsing global marketplaces for everything from phone cases to handmade crafts to electronics, this could feel like hitting a wall.
And for small U.S.-based businesses that rely on affordable international supplies or manufacturing, it could mean shrinking margins or even losing access to key inventory.
Though the suspension of shipments is temporary in many cases, the long-term picture is less clear. Countries and companies will have to renegotiate terms, establish customs frameworks, and absorb higher fees — all of which takes time.
For now, thousands of packages are in limbo. Millions of dollars in goods are caught in warehouses or at docks, unsure if they can move without triggering new costs or being returned to the sender.
A once-simple online purchase from overseas is about to become a much more complicated — and expensive — process.
The rule officially ends Friday. After that, a $20 gadget from Tokyo or a $60 fashion item from Paris may come with an unexpected customs bill — or not arrive at all.
