Confusion has reigned since the United States Postal Service stopped accepting parcels from Hong Kong and mainland China and then quickly reversed its decision.
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The temporary suspension caught users of Hongkong Post and China Post off guard, with the former deciding not to accept any parcels for the US until clarifying issues surrounding the service.
The Post unpacks the saga and explains the options available to consumers.
1. Why did the US Postal Service suspend parcel acceptance?
The postal service, a US government agency, stopped accepting all inbound packages from mainland China and Hong Kong on Wednesday.
It did not specify the reason but the suspension came after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese goods and ended the “de minimis” exemption.
The exemption allowed packages worth less than US$800 to enter the United States duty-free. Nearly half of packages shipped under de minimis came from China, according to a report from one US congressional committee in 2023.
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But the USPS lifted the ban on Wednesday night, saying it would establish a mechanism along with US customs to collect the additional tariffs.
Hongkong Post announced on Thursday that it would continue to suspend acceptance of packages for the US. The government also strongly criticised the USPS for the temporary suspension of services and Washington for the extra tariff.