Postal traffic is to the U.S. is still down about 70% five weeks after the end of the \u201cde minimis\u201d exemption that spared low-value packages from duties and packages, the United Nations postal agency said Friday.<\/p>\n
Confusion has reigned\u00a0since the U.S. ended the tariff exemption<\/a>\u00a0for packages worth less than $800 on Aug. 29. In September, the Universal<\/a> Postal Union reported 88 of its 192 member countries had suspended all or some of its postal services to the U.S. to have time to adjust their shipping procedures.<\/p>\n On Friday, the UPU said \u201conly a handful\u201d of those had resumed operations to the U.S.<\/p>\n The organization said traffic to the U.S. on Oct. 3 was down 70.7% compared with volume one week before the regulatory changes. On Aug. 29, when the exemption ended,\u00a0volume plummeted 81% from a week earlier<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bern, Switzerland-based UPU said it is rolling out technology that will help members calculate, collect and remit required duties to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection through the UPU\u2019s Customs Declaration System.<\/p>\n \u201cPostal services are essential services,\u201d said Lati Matata, Director of the UPU\u2019s Postal Technology Centre, in a statement. The technology, an application programming interface, or API, will allow \u201cevery postal operator in (UPU\u2019s) network \u2013 no matter how big or small \u2013 to meet customs requirements to ensure that citizens worldwide, including U.S citizens, receive their postal items,\u201d Matata said.<\/p>\n Since the exemption ended, purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs now require vetting and are subject to their origin country\u2019s applicable tariff rate, which can\u00a0range from 10% to 50%<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the change applies to the products of every country, U.S. residents will not have to pay duties on incoming gifts valued at up to $100, or on up to $200 worth of personal souvenirs from trips abroad, according to the White House.\n<\/p>\n