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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →USPS announced on Feb. 4, 2025, that it would temporarily stop accepting inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, then reversed course the next day. The brief halt concerned postal acceptance—not whether shipments were duty-free. Customs rules changed separately and later in 2025.
What happened on Feb. 4 and 5, 2025?
On Feb. 4, USPS announced a temporary suspension of inbound international parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts, effective that day. The brief ban applied to parcels, not letters and flats, according to the Associated Press (Associated Press account).
On Feb. 5, USPS said it would “continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong,” as quoted by AP. The reversal meant the announced parcel suspension lasted about a day. USPS did not give AP a reason for the original halt, so the tariff changes underway at the time are context, not a confirmed explanation from the postal service.
Why did USPS reverse its decision?
The policy backdrop was a Trump administration tariff action and an attempted suspension of de minimis treatment for covered low-value goods from China. Before the change, qualifying parcels valued below $800 could enter without duties under that exemption, AP reported. But the available account does not establish that this policy was USPS’s stated reason for its Feb. 4 announcement—or explain the agency’s decision to reverse it the next day.
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The scale of low-value trade helps explain why customs processing was a major operational concern. AP reported that CBP had previously said it processed more than 4 million de minimis imports on average each week. These figures describe the wider customs system, not the number of parcels affected by the one-day USPS announcement.
How parcel acceptance and customs rules changed on different timelines
USPS’s decision determined whether it would accept inbound mail and packages. Customs treatment was a separate matter handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Resumed postal acceptance did not, by itself, restore duty-free eligibility.
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| Date | Policy layer | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 4, 2025 | USPS acceptance | USPS announced a temporary halt to inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts, according to AP. |
| Feb. 5, 2025 | USPS acceptance | USPS reversed the halt and said it would continue accepting inbound international mail and packages from China and Hong Kong, as quoted by AP. |
| Feb. 7, 2025 | CBP processing | CBP said it resumed processing de minimis clearances for qualifying China- and Hong Kong-origin shipments. Its February guidance also said the Feb. 5 amendment did not retroactively establish eligibility; duties paid on shipments denied de minimis treatment before processing resumed would not be refunded (CBP February guidance). |
| May 2, 2025 | Customs eligibility | Under later CBP guidance, covered goods from China and Hong Kong arriving on or after this date would not receive the administrative de minimis exemption. CBP also gave carriers separate directions for international mail (CBP May guidance). |
| July 30, 2025 | Customs eligibility | A subsequent executive order said duty-free de minimis treatment would no longer apply to covered shipments regardless of value, country of origin, transport mode or entry method. It separately addressed postal shipments pending notice that adequate systems could process and collect duties (White House executive order). |
What this means for a Temu, Shein or other China-origin order
The Feb. 5 USPS reversal did not guarantee that a particular order would move without delay, clear customs under a particular rule, or arrive by a specific date. Those outcomes depend on the shipment and its handling; a general policy timeline cannot reveal where an individual parcel is.
- Check the seller’s or marketplace’s tracking page for shipment-specific scans and delivery estimates.
- Check current USPS service alerts for present-day mail conditions. The February 2025 reversal is historical and does not establish today’s acceptance status or a parcel’s location.
- For a charge or customs-processing question, consult the seller or carrier handling the shipment and the applicable CBP guidance.
Do not infer that an order was exempt from duties simply because USPS resumed accepting parcels on Feb. 5. Acceptance and customs eligibility were separate questions, and the customs rules changed again after February.
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