Tariff war: Europe moved first, Magyar Posta waited

Previously, parcels worth less than $800 could be sent to the USA duty-free, but following Donald Trump’s decision, all incoming parcels will be subject to customs duties starting August 29, according to the tariffs applicable to the country of origin. Although letters and parcels worth less than $100 will remain duty-free in principle, the practical application of the rule is uncertain, which is why most post offices have also suspended the forwarding of smaller parcels.

According to the professional organization PostEurop, as of Tuesday morning, postal companies in 20 European countries had already stopped receiving parcels to the USA, in addition to several countries outside Europe. However, according to newspaper reports, the customer service of Magyar Posta confirmed that they are aware of the Friday deadline and that they are still accepting packages for the time being. However, the company has not given an official statement.

According to data from the US Customs Service, 1.36 billion packages worth less than $800 arrived in the US in 2024, worth a total of $64.6 billion. The duty-free period was particularly beneficial for Chinese online giants such as Temu and Shein, which were able to export goods cheaply even in small batches. The discount was already abolished in the case of China and Hong Kong in May, but now the tightening is being extended globally.

Postal parcel delivery can only restart once it is clear what additional costs the customs burden will entail and how the new rules will be applied in the United States. According to analysts, the restart is expected to take place at much higher rates, meaning that the senders will have to pay the additional burden.