Universal Postal Union Offers New Option to Facilitate Duties Collection From International Mail
The Universal Postal Union, an organization that helps to coordinate postal services around the world, says it has developed some workarounds for international mail carriers that will be held liable for U.S. customs duties now that the de minimis exemption no longer is in place.
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Since Sept. 5, international postal operators have gained access to a landed-cost calculator via an application programming interface that can be plugged into their retail and counter solutions. The solution enables posts to calculate and collect the required duties from customers at origin, a Sept. 6 release from UPU said.
The UPU’s Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) capability also soon will be integrated into its Customs Declaration System (CDS) platform, allowing a gradual rollout by the 176 postal operators that are using the platform. "Solutions to transfer the required data and to remit the amounts to the qualified third party also will be provided, and posts will have at their disposal all the necessary technological tools to keep the mail moving," UPU said. "The UPU will support postal operators with the [rollout] of this complete solution, including adapting their internal procedures and training postal staff."
The offering comes as the group noted that traffic from UPU member countries to the U.S. tumbled by 81% on Aug. 29, the day that the de minimis exemption ended. The 81% drop is a comparison of volume between Aug. 22 and Aug. 29.
UPU said 88 postal operators had told it that they were suspending some or all postal services to the U.S. until something is implemented to assist in duty collection. "Carriers, such as airlines, signalled they were unwilling or unable to bear this responsibility and postal operators had not yet established a link to the list of CBP qualified parties, causing major operational disruptions," UPU said.
Separately, UPU said its members would continue to discuss U.S. trade policy changes and possible solutions on Sept. 10 during the group's annual global meeting, which opened in Dubai Sept. 8.