25 ms·

Temporary suspension of acceptance of mail to the United States

346 points by Kye 1y ago

Mr_Eri_Atlov 1y ago
Every morning I wake up and check to see if it's happened yet.
- bamboozled 1y ago
  If he has passed on ?
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- davesque 1y ago
  Not sure what you mean, but me too.
Kye 1y ago
edit: someone changed it to a cropped form of the page title that's even less informative. I tried. I had to redo the headline a bit to fit and accurately represent the overall picture. Some key details copied from the post: >> "Therefore, starting August 27 (Wed.), in line with other national postal operators, we will temporarily suspend the acceptance of postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) to the United States that contain the following items:" >> "Individual gifts with a content value exceeding 100 US dollars >> "Goods intended for sale for consumption"* >> "In addition, we will continue to accept letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS (documents), and postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) containing gifts between individuals with a value of less than US$100." >> "As an alternative to the above suspension of acceptance, our international courier service, UGX (U-Global Express), can handle shipments in compliance with U.S. customs regulations: UGX (U-Global Express)" [1] [1] https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/UGX/index_en.html https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/UGX/index_en.html
favflam 1y ago
This situation feels dumb. I feel like I am watching idiots cheer on someone doing parkor and that person getting his teeth smashed on a wall. Like, what is the point?
- ajmurmann 1y ago
  The implementation is also needlessly fumbled. All these shippers are suspending their service temporarily because this is all so rushed. Normally there would be larger lead times for changes like this and shippers and importers could adjust their processes and businesses with less friction. And that's not even accounting for the fact that there is little reason to believe that many of these changes might never actually take effect or be rolled back soon. So much cost that could have been avoided!
  - _verandaguy 1y ago
    Unfortunately, Americans chose to elect an administration which is either unwilling to learn why a federal bureaucracy has to move slowly sometimes, or who is actively leveraging that precedent to undo it.
  - x0x0 1y ago
    It's like letting the idiots on here claiming you can build twitter in a weekend run our country. Anyone who spend 30 seconds thinking would understand that spinning up the logistics to collect hundreds of millions if not billions of payments would take some real doing. Instead, we're gifted mr "it's obvious and easy".
  - shadowgovt 1y ago
    This is one of the larger effects of Trump's rule-by-EO approach that I think people are coming to realize: The US government moves slow and the US is big. Big-and-slow can be planned for. Big-and-fast cannot be planned for and is, in fact, hugely disruptive. Apart from all other parameters, the US does poorly with tyrannical-style rule because it's bad for business.
    - 1y ago
CalRobert 1y ago
You can still send letters- this is a big deal but it’s not -quite- as bad as I first thought since my ballot is mailed in from abroad…
- jleyank 1y ago
  Remember, he’s ending mail-in ballots…
  - westernmostcoy 1y ago
    That's not within his power to do.
    - actionfromafar 1y ago
      Neither was tariffs
      - dangus 1y ago
        Untrue, Congress gave that power over to the executive branch.
        tines 1y ago
        By what legislation?
        mikestew 1y ago
        Wrong question, it was by inaction and not doing their jobs.
        tines 1y ago
        That's my point, they didn't give the power to the presidency. The presidency is arrogating power to itself without regard for legality.
illegalmemory 1y ago
India has done the same as well https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/india-post-suspends-us-postal-services-students-families-cost-impact-125082400216_1.html https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/india-post-sus...
- pavel_lishin 1y ago
  And several European countries: https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspension-85c7b36b9e92c0e640dfe2ac418cd907?utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4b9c45d78644b3a8820f8 https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspens...
  - mtmail 1y ago
    DHL's announcement "Temporary restrictions on postal goods shipping to the U.S. for private and business customers" https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2025/new-us-customs-regulations-temporary-restrictions-on-postal-goods-shipping-to-the-us-for-private-and-business-customers.html https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2025...
    - morsch 1y ago
      I looked it up. Sending a regular smallish package (2 kg, 35 x 25 x 10 cm, think small laptop) from Germany to NYC is about 25 EUR, now only available for gifts under 100 EUR. Sending it as express, which is what businesses now apparently have to do, is about 80 EUR.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- micwag 1y ago
  Switzerland as well: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/trade-policy/swiss-post-temporarily-stops-sending-goods-to-the-usa/89890119 https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/trade-policy/swiss-post-tempora...
- vFunct 1y ago
mmaunder 1y ago
Sounds like the Japanese commercial carriers are going to get a bump in business since they're not interrupted.
- cinntaile 1y ago
  Japan Post is a commercial carrier, the biggest one. It's only temporary, due to the uncertainty. What a waste of resources this whole thing has been.
shortrounddev2 1y ago
We should have something like the federal reserve, but for trade policy. A board of governors nominated and confirmed by the senate in 8 year rotations. Politicians cannot be trusted to craft economic policy. I am dubious that they should be crafting fiscal policy either since theyve shown they cant be trusted with that either
- philwelch 1y ago
  Why not just have a dictator?
  - shortrounddev2 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - favflam 1y ago
      The current system was up for debate in the last election. Feels over reals got us this result where Republicans specifically in Congress refuse to step in to stop the President from violating the emoluments clause, tax authority, and impoundment. At least the last administration knew they had to pass Congressional legislation to spend money and that impoundment was absolutely illegal. And there is clear evidence Democrats will cull the herd of politicians who stray off.
    - philwelch 1y ago
      > or, more realistically, the conservative ghouls which are parading his corpse around, Weekend-at-Bernie's style I don’t know what reality you’re from but that is not even close to true in this reality. Maybe you’re thinking of the last guy.
    - mlrtime 1y ago
      [flagged]
- jacobolus 1y ago
  This is power explicitly reserved for Congress, which is being extra-constitutionally seized by the President (on the pretext of "national security") with no public support. The problem here is electing a lawless president and putting the Congress in charge of a GOP which is full of unprincipled cowards from top to bottom, not the institutional framework.
jama211 1y ago
[flagged]
modeless 1y ago
> "we will continue to accept letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS (documents), and postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) containing gifts between individuals with a value of less than US$100." So no, "mail" is not suspended. More accurate headline please.
- sugarpimpdorsey 1y ago
  Silicon Valley is in a mad panic, left wondering if bulk shipments of Tenga Eggs will be affected.
- favflam 1y ago
  Ecommerce of millions of people are facing a huge disruption. Think of Brexit. Commerce still happens between the UK and Europe, but there is a massive show-stopping level of friction now because people need to do Customs. That is a lot of paperwork. Millions of people are not used to this and many small businesses will get wiped out.
  - Ekaros 1y ago
    And this is worse than Brexit. As in that case both sides had very clear rules and processes already in place. It was significant new overhead and there might not have been border capacity. But at least how everything could be done was clear.
4ndrewl 1y ago
It's the price of uncertainty. Business can plan for low tax or high tax regimes. Not so much when it's just "unknown". Similar across Europe https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/25/postal-services-in-europe-suspend-parcel-shipments-to-us-amid-uncertainty-over-tariffs https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/25/postal-serv...
- sillyfluke 1y ago
  I was wondering how this would affect the programmer that was sending people Japanese candy packages back in the day, but apparently they shut it down already due to postal restrictions and related increases in postal rates during Covid. Now I'm curious who survived that but is shutting down due to this.
- tempodox 1y ago
  Main thing is uncle Donald gets his beloved chaos and unpredictability. God forbid anything could be predictable or knowable without his direct personal approval. After an appropriate tribute, of course.
- pbreit 1y ago
  This was always a completely insane loophole that the item on Amazon was much more expensive than the exact same item on Temu.
boxboxbox4 1y ago
[dead]
cheema33 1y ago
This needs to be repeated. Tariffs are a tax on ordinary citizens. Unlike regular taxes, tariffs are not progressive and therefore benefit the wealthy. These are the sort of things the poor and middle class voted for. To make the rich, richer. And then turn around and complain that rich are getting richer and they are getting poorer.
- ryandrake 1y ago
  [flagged]
- hippo22 1y ago
  Do you think that cigarette taxes should be repealed then?
  - zymhan 1y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
    - Spooky23 1y ago
      That’s not Whataboutism. Cigarette taxes are excise taxes, very similar to tariffs, and often implemented to encourage behavior by raising commodity cost. In the case of cigarettes and alcohol they are partially “sin taxes” to discourage negative behavior. In the case of the Trump emergency tariffs, they are seeking to pivot the entire economy. So there’s a nuance and multiple ways to look at it. If you’re GM, the ability to make better margins on shitty cars is a net positive. If you’re in the technology or medical field, well, you’re fucked.
    - zahlman 1y ago
      This is not whataboutism. The argument described in GGP would apply the same way to GP's case. Cigarette taxes are a sales/consumption tax (specifically one aimed at discouraging consumption, but cigarettes are addictive) and they are necessarily, inherently regressive, for the simple reason that people with orders of magnitude more income and wealth cannot feasibly spend proportionately more on cigarettes.
dcchambers 1y ago
Semi-related: I make orders from Amazon Japan a couple times a year - shipping to the US isn't cheap but it's nice that Amazon has always handled import taxes/customs/everything else involved in international shipping. Other than taking longer, it's basically the same experience as ordering from Amazon domestically. It's a shame that the ending of the De Minimis Exemption and other tariff-related stuff from the current administration is going to basically kill off Amazon Japan deliveries to the US. From my understanding, once De Minimis ends, the delivery guy may ask you to pay import duties when he drops the goods off at your house. This is impractical for so many different reasons - what if I'm not home? How do I verify the import taxes? If I miss the carrier and don't pay, what happens to my order?
- SequoiaHope 1y ago
  Didn’t it already end for China? They just add the tax on top of the shipment price and pre-pay it.
  - Symbiote 1y ago
    The European post services are complaining that there's not yet an electronic system set up for them to pay these tariffs on the recipient's behalf.
- crazygringo 1y ago
  If it's through Amazon they would probably just add the import taxes to your order. Otherwise, you'll get a notice from USPS/UPS/FedEx in advance to pay the import tax online (or at post office), and then they'll deliver it.
- timr 1y ago
  I don't know what Amazon specifically will do (didn't know they allowed international shipments to begin with!), but the customs process via any normal carrier is that you get a bill when your items arrive at the port of entry. You pay the bill, the item is released, and you get it a few days later. FedEx, for example, does the whole thing online.
timr 1y ago
Title is not accurate. They're allowing personal shipments under $100, and the rest can be shipped via their UGX service. It sounds like JP doesn't want to deal with the customs paperwork at scale (edit: also the deposits).
- Kye 1y ago
  I couldn't find a way to fit all that in the title, so I got 99% there and clarified in the first post. The title still has more resolution toward the full detail than the original title.
  - timr 1y ago
    Yeah, it's literally the same as the title on the page so I get it, but unfortunately it's a hot-button political issue and people are eager to misinterpret. I'd suggest something like: "Japan Post stops accepting US shipments over $100."
    - Kye 1y ago
      I did that with a slight change: "Japan Post to temporarily stop shipments to US over $100" To emphasize that it's not in effect yet and that it's to, not from. edit: Someone went and reverted it to something less clear than everything else
      - pjjpo 1y ago
        FWIW I came in from RSS and am glad to see the better title. Maybe not ideal, but as someone living in Japan, I can see what the official title was trying, but failing, to convey. But it is what it is and probably the best in this case. The move itself seems good on both sides since proper logistics from Asia to US has been strong for a long time, there shouldn't really be a strong need for personal shipment of goods.
- lucky_cloud 1y ago
  Under $100... by what measure? I'm going to Japan soon and was planning on shipping a bunch of clothes, books, etc to myself. I'm not going to sell any of it, I just want to send a bunch of stuff back without having to deal with checking another bag. So as far as I'm concerned, there's no dollar value. I'm buying stuff in Yen for my own personal use... But I suppose I'll just check a bag or use a different carrier...
franze 1y ago
Austria, too. I know somebody working there in mid-management. They say the don't care about high or low taxes on the parcels they transport, but they need a straight forward way to execute, and there just is none.
- thm 1y ago
  Unless they're declared as gift <$100 or sent via Express.
  - Scoundreller 1y ago
    Americans going to be receiving a lot of $99 gifts!
- Scoundreller 1y ago
  This is the issue for postal systems. In every country in the world, you could send a package by post and the receiving country’s customs will assess duty/taxes/admin fees and charge the recipient as the default procedure. As of later this week, the US will not do that procedure (or allegedly charge some absurd flat rate, like $50-$200 on even a $1 package). Sending postal systems don’t want to deal with the aftermath of rejected/refused packages. And it’s unknown if US Customs and US Postal Service is even capable of charging that flat rate anyway.
  - ViewTrick1002 1y ago
    In the EU a flat fee was introduced to deal with the workload and a system to send predeclared items. The difference is that it was communicated well in advance without any uncertainty. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Import_One-Stop_Shop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Import_One-Stop_Shop
    - Scoundreller 1y ago
      It’s not a flat fee though, it’s the VAT rate and an admin fee if you don’t go the IOSS route. When I sent an unpaid item, I think I paid 5 EUR/pkg for processing to France customs on top of VAT because I paid online after France assessed it, but before delivery. US is saying any parcel arriving without duty paid would be charged $80-$200 flat fee solely depending on which tariff rate applies. IE, from a “bad” country, a $1 item could have a $200 fee. Or as low as a bargain or $80. They’re basically treating every parcel like it’s work $800 item. https://www.valueaddedresource.net/trump-ends-de-minimis-exemption-august-29-2025/ https://www.valueaddedresource.net/trump-ends-de-minimis-exe... Anecdotally, many Canadian shippers have reported that China item containing parcels have just been getting returned to sender. No American has received a bill at the door for postal imports.
lupusreal 1y ago
Insane that we have tariffs with Japan of all countries, America's most important strategic ally by far.
- bapak 1y ago
  Mr. D just does not know that.
ysofunny 1y ago
there is a literal energetic meaning to borders and frontiers and barriers IN GENERAL from mitochondrial gradients pushing ions through a hole to make a protein complex spin so to chain double phosphate groups in ADP molecules into triple ATP molecules thereby storing energy. all the way up to an international entities controlling flows of goods and people across borders with the goal of maximizing corporate and government profits (storing/collecting energy) i.e. utilizing the energetic gradient caused by citizens and people and families trying to meet each other across the border including sending each other goods, flavors, candies, etcs
rozab 1y ago
The font rendering on this site is crazy, I guess traditional Japanese fonts like MS PGothic always render bitmaps at smaller sizes. It's fine when zoomed in (or on HiDPI displays i guess). Is it just assumed that Japanese users have better fonts installed?
wnevets 1y ago
How can you be an American and not be embarrassed by this? Is stopping the "woke mind virus" really that important to you?
- bamboozled 1y ago
  For some people yes, no matter the cost, as long as cruel things happen to people they don't like, it's worth everything and if you asked them whether or not this matters, they will tell you no, because America doesn't need anyone else.
- righthand 1y ago
  Consider that the people who believe in “woke mind virus” aren’t intelligent enough to know what a virus even is, then they’re too unintelligent to understand why they should be embarrassed.
  - wnevets 1y ago
    > Consider that the people who believe in “woke mind virus” aren’t intelligent enough to know what a virus even is A lot of HNers are gonna disagree with you on this, Paul Graham is one of those people very concerned about the "woke mind virus".
    - M2Ys4U 1y ago
      Is he really concerned about it, or is he using concern about it as a political tool?
- brianmurphy 1y ago
  We've heard ad nauseam that the rich need to pay their fair share. This goes for importers as well. Pay your taxes. The real substance of these complainers is that they can no longer dodge import fees thru de minimis exemptions. Tough luck. Pay your fair share.
- akimbostrawman 1y ago
  Turns out if you subvert, mock and disenfranchise people long enough at some point they have enough.
casperb 1y ago
Same in the Netherlands. PostNL halted all box shipments to the US last Friday. Only allowing envelopes to go through. They planned to support the new regulations before, but pulled the plug last Friday.
bsimpson 1y ago
There was chatter about this in one of the NYC subreddits over the weekend. Apparently ending the de minimus exemption is closing the grey market for e.g. sunscreen; places that used to sell Japanese sunscreens on American shelves no longer are. There's a frustratingly long list of goods that the US decided to put requirements on in previous generations, and then stopped maintaining. Sunscreen is one; other countries have invented sunscreens that feel better on your skin than the old styles, but aren't yet approved in the US. Motorcycle helmets are another. You may have seen the MIPS system - the yellow slipliner that's become popular in bicycle helmets. Scientists have realized that rotational impact leads to concussions and similar brain damage, but prior helmets only protected against naive impacts. Europe now requires helmets to protect against rotational damage. The US requires that manufacturers self-assert that they meet a very old standard that ignores rotational impact. They do not recognize Europe's new standard. Closing these de minimus exemptions is making it harder for discerning consumers to buy higher quality goods than are currently available in the US right now. Protectionists are going to see this as a win. More background on helmet standards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yu124i3Bo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yu124i3Bo
- 93po 1y ago
  i appreciate you mentioning MIPS - i had no idea there was a new, better standard, and i'll definitely get one for my next helmet (motorcycle)
  - bsimpson 1y ago
    MIPS is actually pretty rare in motorcycles helmets. I know Bell makes a helmet with it, but the premium helmets tend to come up with their own solutions to the same problem. ECE 22.06 is the standard to look for for rotational protection in 2025.
    - 93po 1y ago
      thanks!
  - 1y ago
bigyabai 1y ago
Went from #1 on the frontpage to >30 in under 10 minutes, impressive: https://hnrankings.info/45016517/ https://hnrankings.info/45016517/
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
Havoc 1y ago
I don't get the $100 threshold they're setting? What's the logic behind accepting small packages when suddenly everything is above de minimis?
ethbr1 1y ago
Hot take: good The de minimis treatment has been abused beyond original intent. Specifically by China, but you can't fix that without fixing the general case. Fast fashion and other low-value drop air shipping across oceans is ecologically insane: as a planet we literally can't afford to keep doing this. And the US, by virtue of population + relative consumer wealth, is the biggest customer for this. Furthermore, the inability to reliably screen low-value packages is a problem. To wit, I should not be able to order illegal drugs on the internet and have them delivered by the federal postal system to my door without inspection. Unfortunately, the way to actually address this requires thoughtful regulation (Congress+customs), modernization and funding of enforcement at scale (Congress+customs), and doesn't produce a quick win... so isn't going to be done. More likely, it's used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, then the problem is declared "won", then it's back to business as usual.
- eagerpace 1y ago
  This. It’s well past time to fix this. We can live without Temu for a little while.
- Molitor5901 1y ago
  Well this is how Chinese shippers on Amazon were able to sell goods so cheaply; in addition to the U.S. subsidizing Chinese mail costs. This will lead to a more fair and just system in the future. While the halt may seem like a bad thing, the dictation of global commerce means it's really symbolic. They can't withhold mail forever
- pphysch 1y ago
  Small D2C packages aren't necessarily worse ecologically than a big US retailer importing a bunch of junk to store in warehouses and maybe sell to customers (else landfill).
  - ethbr1 1y ago
    There's a very thin possibility window where the inefficiencies of individual packaging + shipping don't outweigh the efficiencies of bulk importing, even accounting for bulk wastage. If we want to argue the former, I'd say we need to start with non-negotiable 100%-biodegradable, 0%-plastic packaging.
phoenixhaber 1y ago
I'm worried that this could have unforeseen knock on effects or create havoc. Fukushima knocked out global supply chains for parts on cars so for a couple years there were no Honda fits for example (they were missing a necessary but small part). Is there any risk of domino effects having to do with business closures or is it just moronic and annoying?
- hadlock 1y ago
  This is specific to mail service, it does not impact private carriers (fedex, dhl, etc)
  - Kye 1y ago
    The toilet paper shortage during covid lockdowns came from people switching from the stuff stocked in offices to the stuff they buy for home. People switching to alternate carriers could have a similar impact.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
ljsprague 1y ago
Why is English on Japanese sites frequently rendered with that font?
Balgair 1y ago
Also true of vinyl records and pottery out of the UK and EU. The people I buy from are just not doing it. Some stuff I've already paid for and now I'm having to pay the difference. Technically, it's not tariffs on the records. But DHL isn't caring about that at all. To just staff up essentially overnight, the records are going from ~$20 shipping to ~$80 shipping. 4x! And I have to pay them, not the company. No telling how long it's on the docks either. The potter in the UK that I like is just plain not dealing with it as it's a 1 man shop. Can't get it no matter how much I want to pay. Just so disappointed.
mcintyre1994 1y ago
I saw, I think in another comment thread here, that US customs doesn't allow sending into the US with unpaid tariffs and then having the US recipient pay the tariff. That's how it works in the UK (at least for personal shipments) and I assumed everywhere. I'm guessing that's why they'd suspend shipments here, because they'd have to deal with all the logistics of paying the tariff themselves, and presumably charging the local sender.

346 points by Kye 1y ago

Mr_Eri_Atlov 1y ago

Every morning I wake up and check to see if it's happened yet.

bamboozled 1y ago
If he has passed on ?
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
davesque 1y ago
Not sure what you mean, but me too.

Kye 1y ago

edit: someone changed it to a cropped form of the page title that's even less informative. I tried. I had to redo the headline a bit to fit and accurately represent the overall picture. Some key details copied from the post: >> "Therefore, starting August 27 (Wed.), in line with other national postal operators, we will temporarily suspend the acceptance of postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) to the United States that contain the following items:" >> "Individual gifts with a content value exceeding 100 US dollars >> "Goods intended for sale for consumption"* >> "In addition, we will continue to accept letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS (documents), and postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) containing gifts between individuals with a value of less than US$100." >> "As an alternative to the above suspension of acceptance, our international courier service, UGX (U-Global Express), can handle shipments in compliance with U.S. customs regulations: UGX (U-Global Express)" [1] [1] https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/UGX/index_en.html https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/UGX/index_en.html

favflam 1y ago

This situation feels dumb. I feel like I am watching idiots cheer on someone doing parkor and that person getting his teeth smashed on a wall. Like, what is the point?

ajmurmann 1y ago
The implementation is also needlessly fumbled. All these shippers are suspending their service temporarily because this is all so rushed. Normally there would be larger lead times for changes like this and shippers and importers could adjust their processes and businesses with less friction. And that's not even accounting for the fact that there is little reason to believe that many of these changes might never actually take effect or be rolled back soon. So much cost that could have been avoided!
- _verandaguy 1y ago
  Unfortunately, Americans chose to elect an administration which is either unwilling to learn why a federal bureaucracy has to move slowly sometimes, or who is actively leveraging that precedent to undo it.
- x0x0 1y ago
  It's like letting the idiots on here claiming you can build twitter in a weekend run our country. Anyone who spend 30 seconds thinking would understand that spinning up the logistics to collect hundreds of millions if not billions of payments would take some real doing. Instead, we're gifted mr "it's obvious and easy".
- shadowgovt 1y ago
  This is one of the larger effects of Trump's rule-by-EO approach that I think people are coming to realize: The US government moves slow and the US is big. Big-and-slow can be planned for. Big-and-fast cannot be planned for and is, in fact, hugely disruptive. Apart from all other parameters, the US does poorly with tyrannical-style rule because it's bad for business.
  - 1y ago

CalRobert 1y ago

You can still send letters- this is a big deal but it’s not -quite- as bad as I first thought since my ballot is mailed in from abroad…

jleyank 1y ago
Remember, he’s ending mail-in ballots…
- westernmostcoy 1y ago
  That's not within his power to do.
  - actionfromafar 1y ago
    Neither was tariffs
    - dangus 1y ago
      Untrue, Congress gave that power over to the executive branch.
      - tines 1y ago
        By what legislation?
        mikestew 1y ago
        Wrong question, it was by inaction and not doing their jobs.
        tines 1y ago
        That's my point, they didn't give the power to the presidency. The presidency is arrogating power to itself without regard for legality.

illegalmemory 1y ago

India has done the same as well https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/india-post-suspends-us-postal-services-students-families-cost-impact-125082400216_1.html https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/india-post-sus...

pavel_lishin 1y ago
And several European countries: https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspension-85c7b36b9e92c0e640dfe2ac418cd907?utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4b9c45d78644b3a8820f8 https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspens...
- mtmail 1y ago
  DHL's announcement "Temporary restrictions on postal goods shipping to the U.S. for private and business customers" https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2025/new-us-customs-regulations-temporary-restrictions-on-postal-goods-shipping-to-the-us-for-private-and-business-customers.html https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2025...
  - morsch 1y ago
    I looked it up. Sending a regular smallish package (2 kg, 35 x 25 x 10 cm, think small laptop) from Germany to NYC is about 25 EUR, now only available for gifts under 100 EUR. Sending it as express, which is what businesses now apparently have to do, is about 80 EUR.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
micwag 1y ago
Switzerland as well: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/trade-policy/swiss-post-temporarily-stops-sending-goods-to-the-usa/89890119 https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/trade-policy/swiss-post-tempora...
vFunct 1y ago

mmaunder 1y ago

Sounds like the Japanese commercial carriers are going to get a bump in business since they're not interrupted.

cinntaile 1y ago
Japan Post is a commercial carrier, the biggest one. It's only temporary, due to the uncertainty. What a waste of resources this whole thing has been.

shortrounddev2 1y ago

We should have something like the federal reserve, but for trade policy. A board of governors nominated and confirmed by the senate in 8 year rotations. Politicians cannot be trusted to craft economic policy. I am dubious that they should be crafting fiscal policy either since theyve shown they cant be trusted with that either

philwelch 1y ago
Why not just have a dictator?
- shortrounddev2 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - favflam 1y ago
    The current system was up for debate in the last election. Feels over reals got us this result where Republicans specifically in Congress refuse to step in to stop the President from violating the emoluments clause, tax authority, and impoundment. At least the last administration knew they had to pass Congressional legislation to spend money and that impoundment was absolutely illegal. And there is clear evidence Democrats will cull the herd of politicians who stray off.
  - philwelch 1y ago
    > or, more realistically, the conservative ghouls which are parading his corpse around, Weekend-at-Bernie's style I don’t know what reality you’re from but that is not even close to true in this reality. Maybe you’re thinking of the last guy.
  - mlrtime 1y ago
    [flagged]
jacobolus 1y ago
This is power explicitly reserved for Congress, which is being extra-constitutionally seized by the President (on the pretext of "national security") with no public support. The problem here is electing a lawless president and putting the Congress in charge of a GOP which is full of unprincipled cowards from top to bottom, not the institutional framework.

jama211 1y ago

[flagged]

modeless 1y ago

> "we will continue to accept letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS (documents), and postal items (small packets, parcels, and EMS (goods)) containing gifts between individuals with a value of less than US$100." So no, "mail" is not suspended. More accurate headline please.

sugarpimpdorsey 1y ago
Silicon Valley is in a mad panic, left wondering if bulk shipments of Tenga Eggs will be affected.
favflam 1y ago
Ecommerce of millions of people are facing a huge disruption. Think of Brexit. Commerce still happens between the UK and Europe, but there is a massive show-stopping level of friction now because people need to do Customs. That is a lot of paperwork. Millions of people are not used to this and many small businesses will get wiped out.
- Ekaros 1y ago
  And this is worse than Brexit. As in that case both sides had very clear rules and processes already in place. It was significant new overhead and there might not have been border capacity. But at least how everything could be done was clear.

4ndrewl 1y ago

It's the price of uncertainty. Business can plan for low tax or high tax regimes. Not so much when it's just "unknown". Similar across Europe https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/25/postal-services-in-europe-suspend-parcel-shipments-to-us-amid-uncertainty-over-tariffs https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/25/postal-serv...

sillyfluke 1y ago
I was wondering how this would affect the programmer that was sending people Japanese candy packages back in the day, but apparently they shut it down already due to postal restrictions and related increases in postal rates during Covid. Now I'm curious who survived that but is shutting down due to this.
tempodox 1y ago
Main thing is uncle Donald gets his beloved chaos and unpredictability. God forbid anything could be predictable or knowable without his direct personal approval. After an appropriate tribute, of course.
pbreit 1y ago
This was always a completely insane loophole that the item on Amazon was much more expensive than the exact same item on Temu.

boxboxbox4 1y ago

[dead]

cheema33 1y ago

This needs to be repeated. Tariffs are a tax on ordinary citizens. Unlike regular taxes, tariffs are not progressive and therefore benefit the wealthy. These are the sort of things the poor and middle class voted for. To make the rich, richer. And then turn around and complain that rich are getting richer and they are getting poorer.

ryandrake 1y ago
[flagged]
hippo22 1y ago
Do you think that cigarette taxes should be repealed then?
- zymhan 1y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism
  - Spooky23 1y ago
    That’s not Whataboutism. Cigarette taxes are excise taxes, very similar to tariffs, and often implemented to encourage behavior by raising commodity cost. In the case of cigarettes and alcohol they are partially “sin taxes” to discourage negative behavior. In the case of the Trump emergency tariffs, they are seeking to pivot the entire economy. So there’s a nuance and multiple ways to look at it. If you’re GM, the ability to make better margins on shitty cars is a net positive. If you’re in the technology or medical field, well, you’re fucked.
  - zahlman 1y ago
    This is not whataboutism. The argument described in GGP would apply the same way to GP's case. Cigarette taxes are a sales/consumption tax (specifically one aimed at discouraging consumption, but cigarettes are addictive) and they are necessarily, inherently regressive, for the simple reason that people with orders of magnitude more income and wealth cannot feasibly spend proportionately more on cigarettes.

dcchambers 1y ago

Semi-related: I make orders from Amazon Japan a couple times a year - shipping to the US isn't cheap but it's nice that Amazon has always handled import taxes/customs/everything else involved in international shipping. Other than taking longer, it's basically the same experience as ordering from Amazon domestically. It's a shame that the ending of the De Minimis Exemption and other tariff-related stuff from the current administration is going to basically kill off Amazon Japan deliveries to the US. From my understanding, once De Minimis ends, the delivery guy may ask you to pay import duties when he drops the goods off at your house. This is impractical for so many different reasons - what if I'm not home? How do I verify the import taxes? If I miss the carrier and don't pay, what happens to my order?

SequoiaHope 1y ago
Didn’t it already end for China? They just add the tax on top of the shipment price and pre-pay it.
- Symbiote 1y ago
  The European post services are complaining that there's not yet an electronic system set up for them to pay these tariffs on the recipient's behalf.
crazygringo 1y ago
If it's through Amazon they would probably just add the import taxes to your order. Otherwise, you'll get a notice from USPS/UPS/FedEx in advance to pay the import tax online (or at post office), and then they'll deliver it.
timr 1y ago
I don't know what Amazon specifically will do (didn't know they allowed international shipments to begin with!), but the customs process via any normal carrier is that you get a bill when your items arrive at the port of entry. You pay the bill, the item is released, and you get it a few days later. FedEx, for example, does the whole thing online.

timr 1y ago

Title is not accurate. They're allowing personal shipments under $100, and the rest can be shipped via their UGX service. It sounds like JP doesn't want to deal with the customs paperwork at scale (edit: also the deposits).

Kye 1y ago
I couldn't find a way to fit all that in the title, so I got 99% there and clarified in the first post. The title still has more resolution toward the full detail than the original title.
- timr 1y ago
  Yeah, it's literally the same as the title on the page so I get it, but unfortunately it's a hot-button political issue and people are eager to misinterpret. I'd suggest something like: "Japan Post stops accepting US shipments over $100."
  - Kye 1y ago
    I did that with a slight change: "Japan Post to temporarily stop shipments to US over $100" To emphasize that it's not in effect yet and that it's to, not from. edit: Someone went and reverted it to something less clear than everything else
    - pjjpo 1y ago
      FWIW I came in from RSS and am glad to see the better title. Maybe not ideal, but as someone living in Japan, I can see what the official title was trying, but failing, to convey. But it is what it is and probably the best in this case. The move itself seems good on both sides since proper logistics from Asia to US has been strong for a long time, there shouldn't really be a strong need for personal shipment of goods.
lucky_cloud 1y ago
Under $100... by what measure? I'm going to Japan soon and was planning on shipping a bunch of clothes, books, etc to myself. I'm not going to sell any of it, I just want to send a bunch of stuff back without having to deal with checking another bag. So as far as I'm concerned, there's no dollar value. I'm buying stuff in Yen for my own personal use... But I suppose I'll just check a bag or use a different carrier...

franze 1y ago

Austria, too. I know somebody working there in mid-management. They say the don't care about high or low taxes on the parcels they transport, but they need a straight forward way to execute, and there just is none.

thm 1y ago
Unless they're declared as gift <$100 or sent via Express.
- Scoundreller 1y ago
  Americans going to be receiving a lot of $99 gifts!
Scoundreller 1y ago
This is the issue for postal systems. In every country in the world, you could send a package by post and the receiving country’s customs will assess duty/taxes/admin fees and charge the recipient as the default procedure. As of later this week, the US will not do that procedure (or allegedly charge some absurd flat rate, like $50-$200 on even a $1 package). Sending postal systems don’t want to deal with the aftermath of rejected/refused packages. And it’s unknown if US Customs and US Postal Service is even capable of charging that flat rate anyway.
- ViewTrick1002 1y ago
  In the EU a flat fee was introduced to deal with the workload and a system to send predeclared items. The difference is that it was communicated well in advance without any uncertainty. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Import_One-Stop_Shop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Import_One-Stop_Shop
  - Scoundreller 1y ago
    It’s not a flat fee though, it’s the VAT rate and an admin fee if you don’t go the IOSS route. When I sent an unpaid item, I think I paid 5 EUR/pkg for processing to France customs on top of VAT because I paid online after France assessed it, but before delivery. US is saying any parcel arriving without duty paid would be charged $80-$200 flat fee solely depending on which tariff rate applies. IE, from a “bad” country, a $1 item could have a $200 fee. Or as low as a bargain or $80. They’re basically treating every parcel like it’s work $800 item. https://www.valueaddedresource.net/trump-ends-de-minimis-exemption-august-29-2025/ https://www.valueaddedresource.net/trump-ends-de-minimis-exe... Anecdotally, many Canadian shippers have reported that China item containing parcels have just been getting returned to sender. No American has received a bill at the door for postal imports.

lupusreal 1y ago

Insane that we have tariffs with Japan of all countries, America's most important strategic ally by far.

bapak 1y ago
Mr. D just does not know that.

ysofunny 1y ago

there is a literal energetic meaning to borders and frontiers and barriers IN GENERAL from mitochondrial gradients pushing ions through a hole to make a protein complex spin so to chain double phosphate groups in ADP molecules into triple ATP molecules thereby storing energy. all the way up to an international entities controlling flows of goods and people across borders with the goal of maximizing corporate and government profits (storing/collecting energy) i.e. utilizing the energetic gradient caused by citizens and people and families trying to meet each other across the border including sending each other goods, flavors, candies, etcs

rozab 1y ago

The font rendering on this site is crazy, I guess traditional Japanese fonts like MS PGothic always render bitmaps at smaller sizes. It's fine when zoomed in (or on HiDPI displays i guess). Is it just assumed that Japanese users have better fonts installed?

wnevets 1y ago

How can you be an American and not be embarrassed by this? Is stopping the "woke mind virus" really that important to you?

bamboozled 1y ago
For some people yes, no matter the cost, as long as cruel things happen to people they don't like, it's worth everything and if you asked them whether or not this matters, they will tell you no, because America doesn't need anyone else.
righthand 1y ago
Consider that the people who believe in “woke mind virus” aren’t intelligent enough to know what a virus even is, then they’re too unintelligent to understand why they should be embarrassed.
- wnevets 1y ago
  > Consider that the people who believe in “woke mind virus” aren’t intelligent enough to know what a virus even is A lot of HNers are gonna disagree with you on this, Paul Graham is one of those people very concerned about the "woke mind virus".
  - M2Ys4U 1y ago
    Is he really concerned about it, or is he using concern about it as a political tool?
brianmurphy 1y ago
We've heard ad nauseam that the rich need to pay their fair share. This goes for importers as well. Pay your taxes. The real substance of these complainers is that they can no longer dodge import fees thru de minimis exemptions. Tough luck. Pay your fair share.
akimbostrawman 1y ago
Turns out if you subvert, mock and disenfranchise people long enough at some point they have enough.

casperb 1y ago

Same in the Netherlands. PostNL halted all box shipments to the US last Friday. Only allowing envelopes to go through. They planned to support the new regulations before, but pulled the plug last Friday.

bsimpson 1y ago

There was chatter about this in one of the NYC subreddits over the weekend. Apparently ending the de minimus exemption is closing the grey market for e.g. sunscreen; places that used to sell Japanese sunscreens on American shelves no longer are. There's a frustratingly long list of goods that the US decided to put requirements on in previous generations, and then stopped maintaining. Sunscreen is one; other countries have invented sunscreens that feel better on your skin than the old styles, but aren't yet approved in the US. Motorcycle helmets are another. You may have seen the MIPS system - the yellow slipliner that's become popular in bicycle helmets. Scientists have realized that rotational impact leads to concussions and similar brain damage, but prior helmets only protected against naive impacts. Europe now requires helmets to protect against rotational damage. The US requires that manufacturers self-assert that they meet a very old standard that ignores rotational impact. They do not recognize Europe's new standard. Closing these de minimus exemptions is making it harder for discerning consumers to buy higher quality goods than are currently available in the US right now. Protectionists are going to see this as a win. More background on helmet standards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUyp3HX8cY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yu124i3Bo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yu124i3Bo

93po 1y ago
i appreciate you mentioning MIPS - i had no idea there was a new, better standard, and i'll definitely get one for my next helmet (motorcycle)
- bsimpson 1y ago
  MIPS is actually pretty rare in motorcycles helmets. I know Bell makes a helmet with it, but the premium helmets tend to come up with their own solutions to the same problem. ECE 22.06 is the standard to look for for rotational protection in 2025.
  - 93po 1y ago
    thanks!
- 1y ago

bigyabai 1y ago

Went from #1 on the frontpage to >30 in under 10 minutes, impressive: https://hnrankings.info/45016517/ https://hnrankings.info/45016517/

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

Havoc 1y ago

I don't get the $100 threshold they're setting? What's the logic behind accepting small packages when suddenly everything is above de minimis?

ethbr1 1y ago

Hot take: good The de minimis treatment has been abused beyond original intent. Specifically by China, but you can't fix that without fixing the general case. Fast fashion and other low-value drop air shipping across oceans is ecologically insane: as a planet we literally can't afford to keep doing this. And the US, by virtue of population + relative consumer wealth, is the biggest customer for this. Furthermore, the inability to reliably screen low-value packages is a problem. To wit, I should not be able to order illegal drugs on the internet and have them delivered by the federal postal system to my door without inspection. Unfortunately, the way to actually address this requires thoughtful regulation (Congress+customs), modernization and funding of enforcement at scale (Congress+customs), and doesn't produce a quick win... so isn't going to be done. More likely, it's used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, then the problem is declared "won", then it's back to business as usual.

eagerpace 1y ago
This. It’s well past time to fix this. We can live without Temu for a little while.
Molitor5901 1y ago
Well this is how Chinese shippers on Amazon were able to sell goods so cheaply; in addition to the U.S. subsidizing Chinese mail costs. This will lead to a more fair and just system in the future. While the halt may seem like a bad thing, the dictation of global commerce means it's really symbolic. They can't withhold mail forever
pphysch 1y ago
Small D2C packages aren't necessarily worse ecologically than a big US retailer importing a bunch of junk to store in warehouses and maybe sell to customers (else landfill).
- ethbr1 1y ago
  There's a very thin possibility window where the inefficiencies of individual packaging + shipping don't outweigh the efficiencies of bulk importing, even accounting for bulk wastage. If we want to argue the former, I'd say we need to start with non-negotiable 100%-biodegradable, 0%-plastic packaging.

phoenixhaber 1y ago

I'm worried that this could have unforeseen knock on effects or create havoc. Fukushima knocked out global supply chains for parts on cars so for a couple years there were no Honda fits for example (they were missing a necessary but small part). Is there any risk of domino effects having to do with business closures or is it just moronic and annoying?

hadlock 1y ago
This is specific to mail service, it does not impact private carriers (fedex, dhl, etc)
- Kye 1y ago
  The toilet paper shortage during covid lockdowns came from people switching from the stuff stocked in offices to the stuff they buy for home. People switching to alternate carriers could have a similar impact.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

ljsprague 1y ago

Why is English on Japanese sites frequently rendered with that font?

Balgair 1y ago

Also true of vinyl records and pottery out of the UK and EU. The people I buy from are just not doing it. Some stuff I've already paid for and now I'm having to pay the difference. Technically, it's not tariffs on the records. But DHL isn't caring about that at all. To just staff up essentially overnight, the records are going from ~$20 shipping to ~$80 shipping. 4x! And I have to pay them, not the company. No telling how long it's on the docks either. The potter in the UK that I like is just plain not dealing with it as it's a 1 man shop. Can't get it no matter how much I want to pay. Just so disappointed.

mcintyre1994 1y ago

I saw, I think in another comment thread here, that US customs doesn't allow sending into the US with unpaid tariffs and then having the US recipient pay the tariff. That's how it works in the UK (at least for personal shipments) and I assumed everywhere. I'm guessing that's why they'd suspend shipments here, because they'd have to deal with all the logistics of paying the tariff themselves, and presumably charging the local sender.