- News24 Business front page .
As the United States ends a tariff exemption for small parcels on Friday, some retailers have stopped selling to US customers while others are seeking temporary workarounds in the hope the tariff rate may be reduced. The removal of de minimis - duty-free treatment of ecommerce packages worth less than 800 - for products originating from China and Hong Kong exposes those goods to tariffs of 145 on most Chinese goods following US President Donald Trumps decision last month, a move that upended global trade and triggered retaliation from Beijing.
British beauty products retailer Space NK has paused e-commerce orders and shipping to the US to avoid incorrect or additional costs being applied to our customers orders, the company said in a notice on Wednesday.
It is not alone. Understance, a Vancouver-based company that sells bras and underwear manufactured in China, told customers in an Instagram post that it would no longer ship to the United States due to the tariffs, saying it will resume once there is clarity.