USPS says it will still accept packages from China as panicked shoppers await Shein and Temu orders

The US Postal Service (USPS) has announced it will still accept packages from China as panicked shoppers await Shein and Temu orders.

The US Postal Service (USPS) has announced it will still accept packages from China as panicked shoppers await Shein and Temu orders.

USPS released a statement on Wednesday saying it will continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong, just hours after suggesting it might halt service.

The update read: Effective February 5, 2025, the Postal Service will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts.

The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery.

The announcement came as many of the thousands of American shoppers who depend on popular Chinese retailers Shein and Temu for affordable fashion and home goods took to social media in a panic.

I literally almost had a heart attack, posted one TikTok user, one said. 

Listen USPS, I need my Shein packages. I dont know what type of hold yall got going but I need my damn clothes.

I have been procrastinating for so long about ordering, wrote another distressed customer on TikTok.

The US Postal Service (USPS) has announced it will still accept packages from China as panicked shoppers await Shein and Temu orders

The US Postal Service (USPS) has announced it will still accept packages from China as panicked shoppers await Shein and Temu orders

The announcement came as many of the millions of American shoppers who depend on popular Chinese retailers Shein and Temu for affordable fashion and home goods took to social media in a panic

The announcement came as many of the millions of American shoppers who depend on popular Chinese retailers Shein and Temu for affordable fashion and home goods took to social media in a panic

I finally pressed order today and was so happy and excited... and then I scroll on Facebook and see this.. crying.

Others made light of the situation, sharing jokes about the possibility of not receiving their online orders.

Me pressing urgent delivery on my Shein order hoping it will arrive next day, another user wrote.

The news comes amid implementation of President Trumps latest round of tariffs, which included a controversial move to close the de minimis loophole that had allowed packages valued under $800 to enter the US duty-free.

The suspension of de minimis was expected to impact Chinese e-commerce companies like Temu and Shein. 

On Tuesday, USPS announced they would temporarily suspend accepting inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong amid President Donald Trumps trade war.

I finally pressed order today and was so happy and excited... and then I scroll on Facebook and see this.. crying

I finally pressed order today and was so happy and excited... and then I scroll on Facebook and see this.. crying

Nearly half of all packages shipped under de minimis rule come from China, including those from fast fashion giants Shein and Temu, according to a June 2023 report from a congressional committee on China

Nearly half of all packages shipped under de minimis rule come from China, including those from fast fashion giants Shein and Temu, according to a June 2023 report from a congressional committee on China

Others made light of the situation, sharing jokes about the possibility of not receiving their online orders

Others made light of the situation, sharing jokes about the possibility of not receiving their online orders

USPS released a statement on Wednesday saying it will continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong , just hours after suggesting it might halt service

USPS released a statement on Wednesday saying it will continue accepting packages from China and Hong Kong , just hours after suggesting it might halt service

Packages from Shein fall under the de minimis rule
Designers have hit out after Temu and Shein copied their products

Nearly half of all packages shipped under de minimis rule come from China, including those from fast fashion giants Shein and Temu

The change would not impact the flow of letters and flats from China and Hong Kong, the agency wrote on its website.

USPS did not comment on whether this was tied to Trumps decision to end de minimis shipments on goods valued under $800 from China and other countries.

The president halted the century-old trade law that allows low-price imports to enter the United States duty-free as part of his implementation of an additional 10 percent tariff on China and 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico - though levies on the latter two countries have been paused for a month.

Trumps stated goal was to tackle shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US.

The most popular items to buy from Shein and Temu are adult clothes and small electronics

The most popular items to buy from Shein and Temu are adult clothes and small electronics

President Donald Trumps tariffs could help Amazon. The e-commerce giant was founded by Jeff Bezos, who has become close to Trump since he was elected President. Both seen here meeting with Google boss Satya Nadella in June 2017

President Donald Trumps tariffs could help Amazon. The e-commerce giant was founded by Jeff Bezos, who has become close to Trump since he was elected President. Both seen here meeting with Google boss Satya Nadella in June 2017

Nearly half of all packages shipped under de minimis rule come from China, including those from fast fashion giants Shein and Temu, according to a June 2023 report from a congressional committee on China.

Trumps decision to end the rule could now prove to be devastating for Shein, Temu and other businesses built on a factory-to-consumer model, which relies on keeping costs - and prices - as low as possible.

But the move will benefit Amazon, eBay and other big online sellers that dispatch goods from within the US having already paid duty on them if imported.