Customs Requirements and Payment Procedures for Certain Customs Charges
Key claim: People sending international mail through the Postal Service must follow updated customs rules and pay or reimburse any customs charges assessed on their packages, even after they have already purchased postage.
Abstract
(Rule · Postal Service) The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM[supreg]), in various sections, to update mailer responsibilities with respect to customs requirements and to establish procedures for the payment, or reimbursement, of any customs charges that are assessed, including after the purchase of postage.
Why this matters
With the de minimis exemption suspended and postal duty collection ramping up, USPS needed a formal mechanism to charge customers for duties that may be assessed after postage is already paid. The rule shifts the financial risk of customs charges onto the sender/recipient, meaning the posted price of international shipping no longer represents the full cost of sending a package.