Tariffs Deliver Confusion and Surprise Fees to Online Shoppers

Tariffs are reportedly leading to confusion and frustration among eCommerce shoppers in the United States.

At the end of August, the President Donald Trump administration ended the so-called de minimis tariff rule for all packages from overseas. The rule had exempted parcels worth less than $800 from duties.

With the exemption gone, international package delivery is in turmoil, with almost 90 foreign post offices saying they have ceased shipping eCommerce packages to the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported Monday (Sept. 15).

During May and June, the average number of packages worth $800 or less arriving in the U.S. each day dropped to 1 million, compared to an average of 4 million in 2024, the report said.

Meanwhile, FedEx and UPS have seen an uptick in packages requiring customs clearance, while DHL, facing missing information on shipping labels, is holding onto more parcels pending calculation and payment of duties, according to the report. Each of these carriers facilitates tariff payments to the government on behalf of sellers or buyers and charges brokerage or processing fees for this service.

The fee situation has caught some shoppers off guard, the report said. One consumer bought a $77 shirt last month from a Swedish sports brand and paid $30 for shipping. Two weeks after the package arrived, he got an unexpected bill from FedEx for $42.35.

The news came one week after new projections that U.S. import cargo volumes will decline for the rest of 2025. This followed a near-record summer surge fueled by retailers stocking up ahead of rising tariffs and an unpredictable trade policy environment.

The Global Port Tracker report, released Tuesday (Sept. 9) by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, showed a cooling after a period of heightened activity.

“Retailers have stocked up as much as they can ahead of tariff increases, but the uncertainty of U.S. trade policy is making it impossible to make the long-term plans that are critical to future business success,” Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy at the NRF, said at the time.

These disruptions will lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers, he added.

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