I came across this good article I don't think that it will happen too soon for mail. I think that it probably will affect those oufits that take our mail across the border, ie chit chats, etc.
Despite growing consensus for the need to reduce the number of packages coming in through de minimis, the sheer volume means that any changes to the regulations need to be well considered and implemented on a time frame that gives shippers and CBP time to adjust, a half-dozen private logistics experts, former customs officials and politicians told Reuters.
The need to pay duties on the millions of low-value packages coming from China each day also risks slowing a shipping system built to move parcels quickly and that is ill-equipped to store large quantities of goods for any length of time. American shoppers have become accustomed to nearly seamless delivery of online orders of affordable clothing and gadgets from China.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, supports ending de minimis exemptions entirely for all countries, not just China. But she said Trump's surprise order caught the shipping industry off guard. The federal government traditionally would solicit input from affected parties and give them months to prepare.
"You have to have put in place some sort of an infrastructure," DeLauro said. "You don't start saying, 'I'm going to change the world,' and then don't figure out how the heck you're going to do that."
She also criticized Trump's order as being too geographically limited. She said companies currently manufacturing in China could move operations to places such as Vietnam and Thailand and export it from there in efforts to skirt the de minimis ban on Chinese goods.
Trump has now put the Commerce Department in charge of figuring out how to make his policy work.
A particular challenge is the government-owned United States Postal Service (USPS). Although USPS only accounted for about 5% of last year's total de minimis shipments, some 75 million parcels, experts described it as the Achilles heel of any policy to remove tariff exemptions on low-value shipments. USPS, with a history developed around the receiving and sending of letters, is not set up to assess and process duties on packages of sweaters, shoes and headphones coming from abroad.
Express carriers like FedEx, UPS and DHL have in-house customs brokerage divisions that collect any tariffs owed by package recipients, and these companies often handle every step of a delivery, from drop-off to doorstep. In contrast, USPS receives items from foreign postal services that are flown into a handful of international mail facilities at major U.S. airports. These packages often arrive with limited information about their contents. In addition, USPS is not set up to process tariffs.
"The postal service has absolutely no way, themselves, to collect duty or pay duty to the government," said Cindy Allen, CEO of Trade Force Multiplier, an international trade consultancy service, and a former CBP official.
Following Trump's order, USPS on February 4 temporarily stopped accepting incoming packages from China and Hong Kong as it worked to figure out how the duties might be collected. It reversed course some 12 hours later.
In a public statement, the postal service said it was working with CBP to "implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery."
To start processing duty on millions of incoming packages, USPS would likely have to partner with customs brokers, experts said. Another option would be to exempt USPS from the new rules. But that could drive a surge of low-value goods into the international mail, where CBP has struggled, opens new tab to effectively screen parcels and comply with legislation aimed at stopping fentanyl trafficking.
USPS did not reply to requests for comment. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the agency, told Reuters last year that it works tirelessly with U.S. Customs and other partners "to combat illicit drugs entering the mail."
DHL, UPS and FedEx said they comply with all regulations and have the capacity to adapt to the changes as required. CBP did not respond to a request for comment.
CBP is also going to need more people inspecting incoming packages, experts said. It is unclear where those extra personnel might come from given that the Trump administration is now focused on downsizing the federal workforce.
The Trump administration intends to reinstate the ban on de minimis "in short order," an administration official told Reuters.
Whenever that is, it could be another rocky rollout, said Lars-Erik Hjelm, a lawyer specializing in international trade law who used to work for U.S customs. Global shipping routes can be circuitous, with goods frequently passing through various countries before entering the United States. Hjelm said that presents a challenge because it would be harder to establish the Chinese origin of the merchandise.
"It's going to be chaotic, no matter what," he said.
