Japan Post Suspends Acceptance of Mail to U.S. Due to Changes in U.S. Customs and Regulations

[Disappointed_Horse]

News - Japan Post

Temporary Suspension of Acceptance of Mail to the United States Due to Changes in U.S. Customs and Regulations​

On July 30, 2025, the U.S. government issued an executive order titled “Termination of De Minimis Treatment for All Countries” regarding mail to the United States.

Under this executive order, starting August 29, 2025, mail containing goods imported for personal use (taxable mail) will no longer be eligible for duty-free treatment, and tariffs will be imposed. On August 15, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced new guidelines regarding the elimination of de minimis rules, which require that transport operators pay customs deposits to CBP and prepare customs declarations. The procedures that transport operators and postal operators in each country must follow to comply with these guidelines are not clear, however, making implementation difficult.

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)

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

 

[johnf04]

New Zealand Post have done the same.

 

[38Deardorff]

As have European Countries & Australia. Canada has not suspended service but export duties need to be prepaid.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

I posted the above without comment because anything I say is likely to be too political for this forum. It's requiring all of my restraint not to post some commentary.

 

[Rayt]

Theres some confusion over who collects the tariff. Hong Kong Post’s website said they don’t want to collect taxes for a foreign government. So tariffs need to be prepaid as part of the purchase price and the shipper hands the tax to postal service in origin country and then somehow get passed to some US agency? But if a Swedish product made with components from 12 different countries then how are tariffs calculated?

 

[38Deardorff]

I posted the above without comment because anything I say is likely to be too political for this forum. It's requiring all of my restraint not to post some commentary.

It seems that if sweeping pronouncements establish a tariff without the infrastructure to collect it, then you end up with this "you reap what you sow" response.

 

[Ken Ford]

I posted the above without comment because anything I say is likely to be too political for this forum. It's requiring all of my restraint not to post some commentary.

You and me both. I’m seething.

 

[agentlossing]

You and me both. I’m seething.

But nothing new, original or truly informative that we can say, that we haven't all heard and thought before! For the moment, this is our reality. Hope it changes before too long.

 

[cassel]

I was thinking of buying a $1200 item and/or a $500 item from Japan online. Now, I'm feeling like I waited too long... It didn't help that I was also the stupid victim of a PayPal/Etsy/Credit Card scam that cost me $425. Crappy month for what is normally a fun hobby of buying and selling, using and collecting vintage photo gear. Luckily for me, it is just a hobby - I feel very bad for the small businesses that are seriously impacted by this tariff upheaval.

 

[cassel]

Thought you all might be interested in a response I received when I asked a seller in Japan about extra fees/duties/taxes, etc. Here's what I got:

Yes, I can ship this item to the USA.Yes, I can ship this item to the USA.Regarding import duties and additional costs, I am very sorry, but I cannot provide the exact amount. For the most accurate information, please contact U.S. Customs directly. The following is only for your reference.The following is only for your reference.

I contacted JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), and I will share their answer as it is.*** Please note ****** This is not a guarantee of the actual duty or costs, and you should consider it as reference only. In addition to duty, other fees may also be charged, so the total cost will likely be higher.

<JETRO's Answer>Based on HS code 9006.91 (cameras)
According to the Japan–U.S. agreement of July 22, for items with an MFN rate below 15%, the tariff will be set at a total of 15% (MFN rate + retaliatory tariff). For items with an MFN rate of 15% or more, only the MFN rate will apply, and no retaliatory tariff will be added.

However, as of now, the U.S. Customs (CBP) guidance has not yet reflected this agreement, and since August 7, duties have been applied at MFN rate + 15%. The U.S. side has explained that the portion exceeding the agreement, collected after August 7, will be refunded retroactively. Therefore, the U.S. tariff rate for HS code 9006.91 (U.S. HTS code 9006.91.00) is MFN rate (5.8%) + retaliatory tariff (15%) = 20.8%. In the U.S., the duty is calculated on the FOB price, so the calculation method is: FOB price × 20.8%.

I hope this information is helpful for your consideration. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have further questions.