{"id":7186,"date":"2025-02-07T10:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T02:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodsfox.com\/blog\/?p=7186"},"modified":"2025-02-07T10:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T02:42:10","slug":"rejected-yesterday-restored-today-what-is-the-usps-up-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfox.ai\/blog\/rejected-yesterday-restored-today-what-is-the-usps-up-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejected Yesterday, Restored Today? What Is the USPS Up To?"},"content":{"rendered":"

E-commerce was tough this year. But it got even tougher.<\/p>\n

Before operations resumed, the US market faced two major shocks.<\/p>\n

First, the duty\u2010free era ended. The US canceled the tariff exemption for packages below $800 and imposed a 10% \u201cChina special tariff.\u201d This move broke the profit line for many cross\u2010border sellers. Independent websites and DTC brands in the e\u2011commerce arena also felt the impact.<\/p>\n

Second, USPS suddenly halted acceptance of packages from mainland China and Hong Kong. The cross\u2011border e\u2011commerce community was thrown into chaos.<\/p>\n

Then, within 24 hours, things reversed dramatically. On February 5, USPS urgently updated its website. It announced an immediate resumption of accepting packages from China and promised to work with customs to set up a new tariff collection system to reduce disruptions.<\/p>\n

Now, as policy roller coasters become the norm, the fundamentals of cross\u2011border business are being rewritten.<\/p>\n

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1. E-commerce From \u201cPolicy Benefits\u201d to \u201cCompliance Pressure\u201d<\/h3>\n

The US introduced the \u201cde minimis\u201d exemption in the 1930s. In recent years, Chinese sellers began exploiting this rule. In 2016, US law raised the de minimis threshold from $200 to $800. This change lowered barriers for cross\u2011border e\u2011commerce. According to US Customs and Border Protection, duty\u2011free packages surged from 139 million in 2015 to 1.36 billion in 2024 \u2013 nearly 90% of all US cargo. This policy fueled the rise of giants like Temu and Shein while benefiting countless small sellers by reducing local warehousing costs and enabling flexible supply chains.<\/p>\n

Yet, the policy also sparked fierce price wars. Domestic retailers and manufacturers decried the unfair low\u2010price tactics of Temu and Shein. Unable to compete, many joined the race. Last November, Amazon launched \u201cAmazon Haul\u201d with ultra\u2011low\u2011priced items in clothing, home goods, and gadgets \u2013 products similar to those found on Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.<\/p>\n

The Biden administration once proposed narrowing the exemption\u2019s scope. Estimates suggested that 40% of US imports and 70% of Chinese apparel and textiles might lose duty\u2011free status. In contrast, Trump\u2019s new tariff policy cancelled the exemption entirely. An economist from Yale and UCLA warned that without the de minimis rule, sellers would face extra administrative costs \u2013 including fees paid to US authorities and customs clearance charges from logistics companies \u2013 adding over $20 per package.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider a Chinese\u2011exported T\u2011shirt priced at $10 (FOB):<\/p>\n