Australian online retailers hoping to capitalise on new US tariffs by undercutting American and Chinese competitors have been dealt a blow, with Australia Post suspending parcel shipments to the United States just ahead of the critical holiday shopping season, including Black Friday.

In a surprise move, the postal service has imposed a temporary partial suspension on US-bound deliveries, citing recent and significant changes to US customs and tariff requirements.

The US Government has scrapped the De Minimis exemption for imports valued under US$800 and is now requiring tariffs to be prepaid before goods arrive in the country.

Australia Post confirmed the suspension applies to Business Contract, MyPost Business and retail customers sending parcels via its network. Gifts under US$100, along with letters and documents, are unaffected. The move aligns with steps taken by a number of other postal operators worldwide.

To help affected businesses, AusPost is working with US Customs and Border Protection partner Zonos to develop a workaround.

“We are disappointed we have had to take this action, however due to the complex and rapidly evolving situation, a temporary partial suspension has been necessary to allow us to develop and implement a workable solution for our customers,” said Gary Starr, Australia Post’s executive general manager of parcels, post and e-commerce services.

The decision has triggered political criticism, with Opposition small business spokesperson Tim Wilson urging the Albanese government to intervene quickly.

“A lot of small businesses depend on Australia Post to ship small goods internationally,” Wilson told Sky News. “They are going to be the ones most impacted by this decision.”

Australia Post’s suspension of US-bound deliveries also prevents other countries with lower mail volumes from using it as a transit hub.

India, the UK, and Germany have all taken similar steps, while Sweden and Norway halted shipments last Wednesday ahead of the closure of the US customs tax loophole that allows duty-free entry for low-value parcels. That loophole ends this Friday (Saturday AEST).

Last week several European nations had also joined in, with PostEurop — the body representing 53 European postal operators — warning that key requirements remain unclear.

“Critical issues and processes, such as customs duties collection, the data to be gathered, and coordination with US Customs and Border Protection, are not yet clearly defined,” PostEurop said in a statement. Secretary general Botond Szebeny added that “select technical details were only released on 15 August, leaving an extremely short time frame to prepare.”

India’s Department of Posts confirmed it had suspended some US-bound mail services starting Monday.

Australia Post said that if it restarts US parcel deliveries, it will rely on one of two commercial intermediaries authorised to pay duties on behalf of international carriers. It has confirmed it will partner with Zonos, while SafePackage is the other approved operator. Once its Zonos partnership is finalised, Australia Post plans to resume parcel services to the US.