The U.S. Postal Service has officially suspended inbound parcel shipments from China and Hong Kong Post, effective February 4, with no clear timeline on when it will be lifted.
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In a statement, the USPS wrote, “Effective Feb. 4, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend only international package acceptance of inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts until further notice. Note the flow of letters and flats from China and Hong Kong will not be impacted.” Although the USPS has not explicitly stated the reason behind the sudden announcement, it could be possibly linked to President Trump’s push to eliminate ‘de minimis’ shipments from China and other countries, Reuters reported.
Under the ‘de minimis rule,’ packages valued under $800 could enter the U.S. duty-free. Trump’s latest moves regarding tariffs include a 10 percent increase on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff hike on goods from Canada and Mexico, although this plan has been delayed for a month. Social media users also responded to the sudden suspension and expressed concerns about ordering items from Chinese e-commerce companies such as Shein and Temu.
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Temu and Wish hearing the news that as of February 4 USPS suspended acceptance of all packages from China and Hong Kong. pic.twitter.com/2WHbFr5v6a
— Tha_Strange_Dr
(@Tha_StrangeDr_) February 5, 2025
While USPS has yet to confirm whether this suspension is directly tied to Trump’s trade policies, the timing raises eyebrows. If this is part of a larger trade crackdown, shoppers who rely on Chinese retailers for affordable goods might need to start looking elsewhere—or brace for delays and price hikes.
