DHL has temporarily halted shipments valued above $800 from businesses to individual consumers in the United States, citing significant delays caused by recent U.S. customs regulation changes.
Effective Monday, the logistics company said it is pausing these business-to-consumer (B2C) deliveries after experiencing multi-day transit delays. The issue stems from regulatory updates that took effect on April 5, which lowered the threshold for formal customs entry from $2,500 to $800.
“As a result of recent U.S. Customs regulatory updates, we are experiencing multi-day transit delays to the U.S. from any origin for shipments with a declared customs value exceeding USD 800,” DHL said in a statement.
The revised threshold has triggered a sharp increase in formal customs clearance cases, creating a backlog that DHL says it is working “around the clock” to manage. While the suspension applies solely to B2C shipments, business-to-business (B2B) deliveries will continue, though they may also experience delays.
This move aligns with broader U.S. trade policy changes initiated under the Trump administration, which has pushed for stricter import regulations and new tariffs to reduce the trade deficit. Among the targets are Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein, which have relied heavily on duty-free shipping for low-cost goods entering the U.S.
