Postal operators across Europe and the Asia-Pacific are pausing most merchandise shipments to the United States after Washington said it will end the long-standing de minimis exemption that allowed packages valued at up to $800 to enter duty-free. The change, which takes effect on 29 August, subjects low-value imports to normal customs duties—15% for goods originating in the European Union or, for six months, a country-specific levy of $80 to $200—and introduces data-reporting requirements that carriers say remain undefined. Germany’s Deutsche Post DHL, Denmark’s PostNord, Sweden’s PostNord, Poste Italiane and Belgium’s Bpost stopped accepting U.S.-bound parcels on 23 August. France’s La Poste will follow on 25 August, limiting exceptions to personal gifts worth less than €100, while Swiss Post and the U.K.’s Royal Mail will halt most parcels on 26 August. Austria Post, Austria, and other members of the 51-member PostEurop group have issued similar notices, citing insufficient time to reconfigure customs and IT systems. In the Asia-Pacific region, India Post and Australia Post suspended most commercial parcels from 26 August, with letters, documents and low-value gifts exempted. Japan Post will stop accepting small packages to the United States from 27 August, and Taiwan’s postal service has taken comparable steps. International express services such as DHL Express continue to operate but warn of higher costs once duties apply. Operators say a lack of clarity over who will collect and remit the new duties, what additional data must accompany each parcel and how it should be transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection makes continued service impractical. The U.S. agency estimates 1.36 billion parcels worth $64.6 billion entered under de minimis last year. Postal groups are working with American authorities to restore service, but e-commerce sellers and consumers face higher costs and delivery delays until new procedures are established.