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Edith Lin

Hong Kong’s postal service provider will stop accepting airmail parcels to the United States in 10 days after suspending the handling of US-bound packages by land and sea on Wednesday amid the coming tariff increase.
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to further raise tariffs on small parcels sent to his country from mainland China and Hong Kong to 120 per cent from 90 per cent.
The Post examines the arrangements by government-owned Hongkong Post and their impact on businesses and residents.
1. When will Hongkong Post stop handling air parcels to the US?
The city’s post offices will stop accepting US-bound parcels via airmail from April 27.
Hong Kong Postal Workers Union chairman Cheung Wai-kuen urged the public not to wait until the deadline and to send their US-bound packages earlier.
“The parcels still have to undergo customs clearance procedures in the US, which are expected to take longer,” he said on Thursday.
He added that packages could be sent back to Hong Kong with extra postal fees payable to the US if the receiver refused to pay the duties.
Hongkong Post stopped handling small parcels to the US by land and sea with immediate effect on Wednesday morning, announcing that it suspending the service and attributing it to a “longer shipping time”.
It said it would contact senders whose parcels had yet to be shipped to the country, and arrange for the return of items and postage refunds from next Tuesday.
Postal items containing only documents will not be affected.
2. Why did Hongkong Post suspend the parcel service?
The decision followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week to further raise the tariff on small parcels sent to his country from mainland China and Hong Kong to 120 per cent from 90 per cent.
Trump said the “de minimis” trade exemption for goods worth US$800 or below from the mainland and Hong Kong would cease on May 2.
The postal fee per item will be raised to US$100 from the earlier US$75 after May 2 and to US$200 from the planned US$150 after June 1.
Hongkong Post said the US was “unreasonable, bullying and imposing tariffs abusively” and that it would not collect any “so-called tariffs” on behalf of the country.
“For sending items to the US, the public in Hong Kong should be prepared to pay exorbitant and unreasonable fees due to the US’ unreasonable and bullying acts,” it said.

Hongkong Post in February stopped accepting packages to the United States for less than a week when the US suspended incoming parcels from Hong Kong and the mainland for half a day before making a U-turn.
It resumed the relevant service two months ago when the US postal authorities at that time confirmed that they would not impose tariffs on such parcels.
3. What options do Hongkongers have for sending parcels to the US?
The public can still send their US-bound parcels through other couriers, but they will need to be cautious amid the uncertainties.
A customer hotline staff member from SF Express said the company was still delivering packages to the US, but the exact tariff for parcels mailed on Wednesday was not known and would only be determined after US customs clearance.
A frontline employee at another courier, UPS, said that for packages to the US valued at more than US$800, the tariff for parcels sent on Wednesday would be 145 per cent of the value of the mailed goods.
The employee added that the transport fees, which were the responsibility of the sender, remained unchanged.
A customer service staff member at DHL said the tariff for US-bound packages would only be confirmed after the customs clearance process on arrival.
4. What is the impact on businesses?
Andrew Kwok Chi-wah, president of the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said he expected that the new measures would significantly increase costs for local small e-commerce businesses.
He said the companies had been looking for neighbouring countries that had not been affected by tariffs on small parcels and were considering using them as temporary transfer spots to collect or send packages to and from the US.
But Kwok added they had yet to locate the transfer points.
Willy Lin Sun-mo, chairman of the Hong Kong Shippers’ Council, said he expected that small and medium-sized enterprises would only deal with the goods on hand and refrain from taking new orders.


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How will Hongkong Post’s suspension of US-bound parcels affect residents?

A Hongkong Post worker handles parcels in Central. Photo: Jelly Tse

Parcels at the post office in Central. US President Trump has announced plans to further raise tariffs on small parcels sent to his country from Hong Kong to 120 per cent from 90 per cent. Photo: Nora Tam

Hongkong Post won’t accept US-bound parcels amid Trump tariff war

The Hongkong Post post a notice at the General Post Office in Central, stating that with immediate effect (April 16), the acceptance of surface mail containing goods destined for the United States will be suspended, and that the acceptance of airmail will be suspended with effect from April 27. Photo: Jelly Tse

Gioia Sloane, a 57-year-old working in education who has lived in Hong Kong since 2006, has been left frustrated by the changes in policies. Photo: Jelly Tse

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The US Postal Service stopped accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong last week before making a swift U-turn.  Photo: EPA-EFE

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Hongkong Post has said it is seeking clarification from the US postal administration as it has not yet been notified of the latest order. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

The Post looks into the postal service’s arrangements as Trump plans raising tariffs on small parcels from the city to 120 per cent


The Post looks into the postal service’s arrangements as Trump plans raising tariffs on small parcels from the city to 120 per cent.


United States

Donald Trump

US-China trade war

Trade

US-China relations

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Explainer | How will Hongkong Post’s suspension of US-bound parcels affect residents?

The Post looks into the postal service’s arrangements as Trump plans raising tariffs on small parcels from the city to 120 per cent

1. When will Hongkong Post stop handling air parcels to the US?