DHL has restored high-value shipments to the United States. This decision ends a suspension-jumping period fostered by heightened regulation under former President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. The logistics company stopped deliveries on any order larger than $800. They pointed to a huge increase in bureaucratic requirements that created barriers to shipping. The agreement to restart these deliveries comes after successful negotiations with customs officials and other government agencies.
The resulting new customs checks, imposed on the EU frontier earlier this month, prompted a strike with blockaded shipments that worsened supply. This made unnecessary confusion and hurt both consumers and businesses. Under the amended rules, the threshold for packages from other countries entering the US with little or no paperwork has now been dropped to a scant $800. In the past, packages worth $2,500 and below automatically qualified for expedited customs clearance. May 2 will mark the date when one loophole—known as the public charge rule—closes. This reversal will make it harder for big players like Shein and Temu by creating more complex shipping logistics for low-value packages that enter the country.
In an emailed statement, a DHL spokesperson said they understand the repercussions of these changes. “The express industry had a constructive dialogue with the US government to optimise customs regulations to ensure critical goods still reach US businesses and consumers in a timely, safe and compliant manner,” they noted. Well, DHL announced something kind of special. With recent changes to customs regulations, they are now able to accept business-to-consumer shipments that are greater than $800 into the US.
Although the suspension has been lifted, DHL cautioned that there could be ongoing delays for shipments valued at more than $800. “To scale up and manage this increase, shipments worth over $800, regardless of origin, may experience multi-day delays,” the spokesperson explained. They further commented on the operational challenges posed by the updated regulations, stating that these changes “caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock.”
The full breadth of the impact of these changes is only now likely to be realized in all sectors. Both Shein and Temu recently released statements about plans to start raising prices. New tariffs and global trade rules changes are leading the charge on making this decision. As companies continue to get used to the new customs world, it is always in companies’ interests to have them do so as cost-effectively as possible.