Effective immediately, all international parcels with a declared value of more than $800 to the United States will be suspended, international express giant DHL Express announced. Triggered widespread concern among global e-commerce, logistics companies, and consumers. This latest development came shortly after the implementation of U.S. Customs policy adjustments, which directly impacted overseas consumers on cross-border ecommerce platforms and influenced supply chain efficiency.
The policy change has become a trigger
The cause of the matter can be traced back to 5 April 2025. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced an adjustment to the import clearance process, lowering the value limit for simplified declarations from $2,500 to $800. The change means that any international parcels exceeding $800 will no longer be eligible for expedited clearance lanes, but will need to be subjected to full scrutiny as if they were formal declarations of goods, including the provision of information such as detailed invoices, importation documents, proof of identity of the recipient, and the purpose of the goods.
As soon as the policy came out, a large number of medium- and high-value international parcels that should have been cleared quickly began to accumulate at major ports, and the average clearance time was significantly extended, with some orders even delayed by more than five working days. This is nothing less than a profound shock to the international express industry, which takes time as its lifeline.
DHL’s response to upgrade
To cope with this change, DHL officially issued a notice on April 21, suspending sending to the United States, the declared value of more than 800 U.S. dollars of B2C (business-to-person) parcel business, and does not accept the collection of goods, customs clearance, or distribution. This decision has a direct impact on sellers and consumers worldwide who send high-end consumer goods, electronics, and luxury goods through DHL Express.
In a statement, DHL said, ‘This initiative is driven by compliance needs and service stability. In the case of sudden changes in U.S. Customs review standards and a steep increase in process pressure, we have to temporarily adjust our service policy in order to ensure the quality of our logistics operations.’
It should be noted that business-to-business (B2B) freight services have not been fully suspended, but DHL also reminded customers that all parcels exceeding $ 800 still need to be prepared for an extension.
E-commerce platforms bear the brunt: Shein, Temu and others affected
The policy change poses a clear challenge to China’s cross-border e-commerce platforms. Platforms such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress used to rely on the convenience of the US De Minimis Rule to deliver large numbers of small parcels directly to consumers and enjoy tariff exemptions. However, the U.S. government has clearly announced that the exemption system will be cancelled from 2 May.
Once implemented, it will not only lead to an increase in shipping costs and longer delivery times, but also undermine the cost-effective advantage of the platform’s products in the U.S. market. In addition, as some users do not understand the customs clearance obstacles that may be caused by the new policy, it is also possible to bring a large number of returns, claims, and bad reviews, affecting brand reputation and customer experience.
The industry’s impact on the expansion
In the face of the uncertainty of the new regulations, more than DHL is the strain. China Hong Kong Post also recently announced the suspension of some high-value mail services, and a rare statement criticising the United States’ practice ‘unilateral, unreasonable’, saying that it ‘seriously interferes with the normal international logistics order’.
FedEx and other cross-border courier giants such as UPS have also updated their service alerts to remind customers that high-value parcels will face stricter customs clearance procedures and potential costs, and suggested ‘minimising the declared value of a single ticket or changing to an enterprise import model’.
At the same time, some exporters began to seek ‘split single’ customs diversion’ and other strategies, trying to maintain the timeliness of goods on the basis of compliance, to avoid losing U.S. customers.
The trade background can not be ignored
It is worth noting that this adjustment is not an isolated incident, but part of the Trump administration’s policy to strengthen trade control after the return. Officially, the U.S. says the move is aimed at cracking down on illegal goods, protecting local industries, and limiting the abuse of customs clearance facilitation in certain countries.
However, the measures have sparked controversy on an international scale. Critics point out that the new regulations lack a buffer in terms of implementation details and impose disproportionate costs on formal trade. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises that rely on small, high-frequency exports, this means that profit margins are severely squeezed, and may even be forced to exit the U.S. market.
DHL response: ‘The suspension is a temporary measure’
DHL stressed in the announcement that the suspension of high-value parcels is only a stage strategy, and the company will continue to assess the actual impact of the U.S. Customs policy and seek to optimise the operational path. ‘We understand the inconvenience to our customers and will do our best to communicate with regulators to find a solution.’
At present, DHL suggests that customers hold off on sending B2C orders with a value higher than $800 or consult customer service to seek alternatives, such as splitting orders for customs clearance, switching to B2B channels, and using distributors.
Summary: The way to cope with the new challenges of cross-border e-commerce
This incident once again reminds the industry that sudden changes in compliance policies have a chain reaction on the logistics system. In the face of the ever-changing international trade environment, sellers and platforms need to update their awareness of compliance, optimise their customs clearance strategies, and explore multi-channel transport paths, such as overseas warehousing and local distribution.
At the same time, policymakers should also balance the relationship between cracking down on non-compliance and safeguarding the smooth flow of trade, so as to avoid ‘accidentally injuring’ compliant operators in the implementation of policies.
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