Tariffs Disrupt International Shipping, But Your Business Communication Doesn’t Stop

As you’ve probably seen in the news, right now, many European postal services (including Royal Mail in the UK, La Poste in France, Deutsche Post in Germany, Correos in Spain, Austria’s Österreichische Post and others) have made a difficult decision. They are pausing parcel shipments to the United States due to the sudden new tariffs. For small businesses, this sudden halt could become a real problem. But the pause is definitely not because these postal services want to stop communication with the US. It’s because of changes in US import rules that have left them frustrated and almost with no time to prepare.

Up until now, there was a tax exemption that made it possible to send small packages into the US without paying duties. This system was a lifeline for many small European companies that relied on selling lower-priced goods overseas. In fact, 1.36 billion packages were sent this way last year.

But starting at the end of August, that exemption disappears. From now on, packages that used to go duty-free will face a 15% tariff, the same rate that applies to most other imports from the EU. Having to suddenly add 15% to the price or risk losing packages in customs could mean losing sales altogether, but the problem isn’t just the added cost. European postal services admit there is confusion about how the new system will work in practice. Postal operators across Europe say they simply don’t have enough clarity.

They have many questions, like: Who exactly pays the tariff? How will the payments be collected? What extra data needs to be sent to US Customs? These details have not been explained properly, and businesses can’t ship with so many unknowns. It’s no surprise, then, that postal services are calling this pause “unfortunate but necessary” until there’s more clarity. Some postal services are allowing parcels worth under €100 to continue moving across the Atlantic, but even those will face stricter checks.

There is good news, though, for businesses and individuals with international connections: Restrictions related to parcels will not affect letters and documents – those can still be mailed to US recipients.

That said, there is a smart way to mail important documents internationally: Our DocuSend mailroom accepts mail destined for the US from anywhere in the world simply by uploading it from your desktop to our cloud-based platform in a few minutes. This option allows individuals and companies in Europe or (anywhere else in the world) to convert PDFs of their letters and documents into physical mail very quickly. Instead of manually printing and mailing them, applying foreign postage, and waiting for physical mail to arrive in the US from overseas, just outsource it to DocuSend. We take your documents from our system, print them in the US at our facility, and send them out within two business days, same as regular US domestic mail. It is more cost effective, reduces delivery time, and eliminates the manual work for you.

Besides that, every user gets their personal portal, where you can track the progress of your important documents through the US postal facilities along their route at no extra charge – no more guessing whether your documents have arrived in the US and where they are along the way. Even with all the recent uncertainties and shipping restrictions, the important part is that all your communication doesn’t have to stop. One thing you can always count on: Within two business days, your documents are already on their way.

Another big advantage is that you’re not stuck with the letter weight restrictions that usually apply when sending foreign mail from your own country. With DocuSend, you can include more pages in your letters and still have lower mailing rates. And if you’re working with larger documents, you can even choose our double-sided printing option, which keeps your mailings compact and cost effective without sacrificing their professional look.

Using the cloud-based mailroom is not just helpful for international businesses sending mail into the US. Our US customers can take advantage of the same convenience in the other direction. With DocuSend, you can easily mail documents abroad, to recipients all over the world, right from your desktop. It’s a simple process: When addressing your document(s), just include the destination country as the last line so our system can automatically recognize it as foreign. Then upload your PDFs, select duplex printing if needed to send more pages, and process an online payment quickly and conveniently, and we’ll handle the printing and mailing for you.

Whether you need to mail a single document or a large batch, DocuSend makes it fast and easy, as there are no volume restrictions. You can upload as much or as little as you need, without any contracts or subscription fees.

Going back to parcels, there’s still hope that this disruption won’t last long. Royal Mail, for instance, has said they hope shipments can restart in just a few days, once the rules are clearer. And while there may be some limits on parcels that can be sent, the important part is that your communication doesn’t have to stop. Even during this uncertain period, it’s easy to reach your US customers, partners, or contacts reliably through services like DocuSend. Trade disruptions are never easy, yet these challenges remind us of the importance of flexibility and highlight the value of innovative solutions.