While troopers around the world have grown accustomed to it over the years, US troopers are now facing the possibility of additional charges on delivery due to the tariffs, which I have already discussed on multiple occasions. However, with numerous emails rolling in, it is worth taking the time to explain once more.
Two things have occurred concurrently: the de minimis threshold of $800, which allowed packages under $800 to enter tax-free, has been removed, and new tariffs have been imposed at various rates. Without getting into any political debates and regardless of what may have been expressed by multiple people, tariffs are a form of Value Added Tax, and it was ALWAYS going to be the end consumer who pays for it. It is levied locally upon entry, which requires payment; it is not included in the shipping and handling (S&H) costs.
As expected months ago, private courier companies have been able to quickly roll out the same system they apply in other markets requiring import taxes/tariffs. To lower the impact on delivery time, they pre-pay duties on any package requiring so and then charge back to the affected trooper, adding a service charge.
However, the “good” news is that for the time being, not every package is systematically incurring these tariffs; packages are picked at random by local customs, so you may get lucky and have yours come through without additional charges. The “bad” news is that there is no fixed framework, and it is all at the whim of those in power through the (un)decision of the President.
The only thing we can do is make sure that the declared value minimises the possible tax and recommend that troopers buy multiple items to be shipped together.
