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China-to-U.S. Packages: Customs Charges, Tariff Changes and Possible Delays

China-to-U.S. parcels may face customs duties, taxes and carrier fees, but current official guidance does not establish a general tariff-caused delay across USPS, UPS and DHL. Here is what the charges mean and how to check a bill.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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China-origin parcels entering the United States may incur customs duties, taxes and carrier fees, but the available official carrier information does not establish a current, general tariff-caused delay across USPS, UPS and DHL. Whether you owe money—or experience a delay—depends on the shipment’s contents, declared value, customs classification, entry route, shipping terms and entry date.

Why might a China package have new charges?

U.S. import charges are not one single fee. Customs duties are government assessments on imported goods; taxes may also apply. A carrier may separately bill for services such as brokerage, advancing payment or handling. The invoice should distinguish government charges from the carrier’s own fees.

UPS’s tariff guidance says the former de minimis treatment for low-value shipments was suspended effective August 29, 2025, and separately says the low-value exemption for China- and Hong Kong-origin shipments had been removed effective May 2, 2025. These are UPS’s summaries of U.S. policy. The dates describe different policy changes; neither means every parcel gets the same bill. UPS also describes the prior under-$800 threshold, but that former threshold is not a current guarantee that a package below $800 enters duty-free.

The amount, if any, depends on details including origin, contents, value, tariff classification, entry route and the rules applicable when the shipment enters. Without those details, it is not possible to reliably estimate an individual parcel’s bill.

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Did tariffs stop, or is UPS still collecting them?

UPS says it stopped collecting IEEPA tariffs for U.S. imports entered at or after 12:00 a.m. EST on February 24, 2026, following U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance. That statement concerns IEEPA tariff collection specifically. It does not mean all customs duties, taxes or carrier fees ended.

For a charge on a particular package, check the entry date and the charge description on the carrier’s invoice. A duty or tax line and a brokerage or handling line are different kinds of charges, even when they appear together on one bill.

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What do USPS, UPS and DHL say about fees and delays?

The available carrier information does not support a claim that tariff changes are causing a uniform delay across all three services. It also does not provide a like-for-like comparison of their fees for China-to-U.S. parcels. The distinctions below are more useful than choosing a carrier based on an unsupported cheapest-or-fastest claim.

Carrier What the available guidance establishes What it does not establish
USPS USPS says receiving countries may require duties, taxes and fees before delivery. Its Prepaid Import Duties (DDP) guidance concerns eligible U.S. senders sending qualifying items to eligible foreign destinations. That outbound DDP guidance is not evidence that USPS offers the same prepayment option to a U.S. recipient of a China-origin parcel. No tariff-caused delay for this route is established here.
UPS UPS explains that U.S. imports may incur duties, taxes and brokerage fees, typically payable by the recipient, and publishes tariff updates including its IEEPA collection change. The guidance does not establish a general delay length or a single fee applicable to every China-origin shipment.
DHL DHL maintains a U.S. tariff information page. The available information does not provide a complete current China-specific consumer fee schedule or a delay estimate.

UPS also describes a general postal-network duty method that may be ad valorem or specific and gives a range of $80–$200 per item depending on country of origin. That is a broad carrier description, not a prediction of what a China-origin parcel will owe; confirm whether it applies to the shipment and the relevant entry date before relying on it.

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Are delivery delays happening?

Customs review, missing or inconsistent paperwork, unpaid charges and a carrier’s handling process can affect an individual shipment. But the reviewed official carrier material does not measure tariff-caused delivery delays across USPS, UPS and DHL, and it gives no defensible number of days to add to an estimate. A delay notice or revised delivery date for a specific tracking number is more relevant than a blanket claim about all China shipments.

Check the carrier’s tracking page for the parcel’s current status and any request for documents or payment. If the tracking record does not explain a hold, contact the carrier handling that shipment and ask whether it is awaiting customs information, a charge payment or another step.

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How can I check whether a charge is correct?

  1. Ask the sender who agreed to pay import charges. The shipping terms determine whether the sender or recipient is expected to pay duties and taxes; do not assume postage paid means import charges are prepaid.
  2. Request an itemized carrier breakdown. Separate government duty and tax line items from brokerage, disbursement, processing or other carrier service fees.
  3. Verify the declaration. Check that the contents, declared value, country of origin and tariff classification accurately describe the goods. Errors or missing details can affect assessment and clearance.
  4. Dispute a suspected error through the carrier’s billing process. Compare the invoice’s government assessments with its service-fee lines, and provide supporting order or shipment documents. The charge cannot be assessed from the parcel’s price alone.
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What to compare before choosing a shipping option

Ask the seller for the actual service and shipping terms, then compare options for the same China-to-U.S. route. A meaningful comparison should include:

  • whether the parcel enters through a postal network or an express/non-postal route;
  • whether duties and taxes are prepaid by the sender or billed to the recipient;
  • which brokerage or handling charges may be added to government assessments;
  • the contents, declared value, origin, classification and completeness of customs paperwork; and
  • the current delivery estimate and service availability for the specific route.

Carrier service estimates and charges can vary by shipment and can change. Confirm them with the carrier or seller for the parcel in question rather than treating a general tariff notice as a delivery guarantee or a personal fee quote.

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