by Linda Straker

• Jamaica Post has suspended sending parcels and packets bound for the US
• Several courier services and airlines have halted transporting parcels and packages to the US
• de minimis exemption allowed goods valued at US$800 or less to enter US without paying any tariffs

The Board of the Grenada Postal Corporation (GPC) is expected to make a decision about small parcels and packages that will be affected by the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on small parcels and packages.

Signed last month, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order eliminating the exemption of tariffs on international shipments worth US$800 or less from Friday, 29 August 2025 — nearly 2 years earlier than the deadline set in the tax cuts and spending bill approved by Congress.

The executive order states that purchases previously entering the US without needing to clear customs will require vetting and be subject to the applicable tariff rate of their origin country, which can range from 10% to 50%.

For the next 6 months, carriers handling orders sent through the global mail network can choose a flat duty of $80 to $200 per package instead of the value-based rate.

When asked how Grenada is responding to this development from the US, Randal Robinson, who serves as the Director of Post, said, “The board is considering the matter, and a decision will be made and communicated thereafter.”

In the Caribbean region, Jamaica Post has announced the suspension of sending all parcels and packets bound for the US, effective last Tuesday, until further notice. Internationally, several courier services and airlines have announced a halt to transporting parcels and packages to the US.

The Trump Administration said the exemption has become a loophole that foreign businesses exploit to evade tariffs, and criminals use it to get drugs, counterfeit products and other contraband into the US.

Called de minimis tariff exemption, it allows goods valued at US$800 or less to enter the US without paying any tariffs. US consumers relied on the exemption to buy cheap clothes and household items from online shopping sites. Letters or gifts worth less than US$100, sent directly from person to person rather than from a business to a customer, will not be affected.

Congress had planned to end the de minimis exemption for all countries when it passed “The One Big Beautiful Bill” earlier this month, but an end to the global exemption wasn’t set to come into force until July 2027.

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