AUSPost VS the US

Section Editor Chantelle Mackintosh overviews the reasons behind the halting of shipments from AUSPost to the United States. 

Australia Post has suspended most postage to the United States of America in retaliation against new tariffs on low-value parcels. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump details that from Friday 29 August, parcels valued under AUD$1,230 will attract tariffs. However, letters and documents with no commercial value and gifts valued under USD$100 are not affected by the new tariffs and will still be shipped by AUSPost. 

On 26 August, Australia Post immediately suspended postal services to the United States that would incur the extra taxes. Private shipping companies are still shipping to the United States and Australia Post is planning to work with them to help their business subscribers. In a statement issued by Australia Post, they stated; “Due to recently announced changes to import tariffs for postal items sent to the US and Puerto Rico, Australia Post has temporarily suspended some postal services to these destinations, effective 26 August 2025 until further notice.” By directly mentioning the tariffs, Australia Post is taking a direct stance against the Trump administration and is refusing to take this lying down.

This decision by the United States primarily hurts small business owners as many rely on the large American consumer base for their income. With 10 per cent additional taxes and fees for over USD$80, those who do ship with private companies will find their costs rise astronomically. Many small businesses preempted this, and halted their delivery in advance of Australia Post's decision. Many cited it as a protest against the United States’ administration, while many others sought to avoid the rising costs of Australia to United States shipping. This will render the American market inaccessible to many small Australian businesses.

Until now, parcels under AUD$1,230 from Australia to the United States have remained exempt from import duties. The suspension of the “de minimis” threshold for all of the United States trading partners indicates a mass international trade alteration. The administration has justified these measures in order to protect American-owned manufacturers from international goods saturating the market. However, the actions taken by multiple international postal services show a major international backlash against these moves. This global retaliation indicates a shift towards economic instability.

In a statement on their website, Australia Post stated that their response follows the actions of other international postal operators. This includes Norwegian, Swedish, Belgian and Taiwanese postal services. This widespread boycott of large-scale postal services retaliating against the increasing US tariffs reflects international backlash against the current administration's political relations. 

In the meantime, while waiting for an address from the White House, Australians and Americans alike need to consider if these tariffs are worth paying.