(Temporary) Suspension Of Post To USA Containing Goods

Very true statement and I am also part of those posters. However, when discussing this tariff situation, we naturally move towards other comments since there is very little connection between the current tariffs/mail disruption and the stated goal of controlling the import of fentanyl. But, let's see where the discussion goes from here.

Nope. This is one the problems. The moderators need to clamp down on the political and personal crap. It wastes their time dealing with it by letting it go on and on.

If I posted here how I feel about each of the presidents of the 21st century, there would be howls for the posts to be removed. And rightly.

A second observation I discussed with Don many years ago was the role of moderators. Specifically, that they wear two hats. One is the moderator role and one is a normal participant role. I suggested they have two separate accounts to draw a clearer line between their posts.

I agree with John. These threads that go off the rails talking about politics make SCF worse. If we can tell who a member here voted for, I think that member should reevaluate how they participate. This is not the place for it.

Given the topic at hand, it is hard to avoid the tariff's relationship with politics, and as long as the discussion remains civil and not inflammatory or slanderous, I hope that the thread can stay open.

I never felt that the "taco trade" was an insult, it was just a humorous way to describe the frequent policy reversals any time the market and/or pubic reacted negatively to the effects of a policy and the administration quickly backed down. In a way, that is a good thing, and may be part of the reason the predicted 'economic apocalypse' was averted.

I am expecting and hoping that within a couple of weeks after the de minimus exemption expires tomorrow, once the pain starts to be felt, that the Administration will reverse course and back down again. If you don't like "Taco", just call it listening to the constituents.

The media has started to pick up the story in the last few days but it won't be until next week when the real impact will become widespread with cancelled orders and extra "processing fees" in addition to the unexpected tariffs that buyers will start to be charged.

Regardless of who is in power, the tariffs on de minimus goods and subsequent shipping halts are going to hurt a lot of consumers and small businesses at home and abroad.

It appears Royal Mail has implemented a solution using its existing system.

https://www.royalmail.com/usapersonalupdates

If I understand it correctly:
- trade goods: fill out declaration forms online, buy postage online, pay the fee (is that the 50p or on top of the 50p?), pay the import duties, and send your small parcel;
- gifts up to USD 100: fill out declaration forms online, buy postage online, pay the fee (is that the 50p or on top of the 50p?), no import duties to pay, and send your small parcel;
- letters and cards: go to the post office to buy a stamp and send your card or letter.

It is beyond me how Royal Mail can offer this service for 50p per parcel, unless additional 'fees' apply. I would not be surprised if this 50p will be GBP 5 within a few months.

I suppose if you are able to charge your US customer for the duties and fees you could not care less about whether or not anyone ever gets money back when the parcel is not accepted or returned by the US buyer. Only return the cost of the item and let the buyer take care of getting the duties back from the US government. And you, even, may add a charge in compensation for the extra labour spent on filling out the forms and banking fees for transferring money when you, only, should be receiving money.

I also wonder how this system works if the sender does not pay the duties. Will Royal Mail accept the parcel and have the buyer pay the flat rate of USD 80/160/200, or won't you be able to send the parcel unless you pay the duties?

And what happens if the forms say the stamp is from the UK, but it is an Indian stamp printed in India?

A scene from a post office on the 29th of August 2025.

On the forum from Down Under, there are posts suggesting the Post Office clerk will send you home. Apparently, this, only, should happen if you do not want to send an ordinary letter or card. However, the message was not clearly received by all postmasters and even people asking for a stamp to stick on a letter or card addressed to the USA have been sent packing. For gifts and goods (small parcels) they cannot help you at the Post Office because you must use Royal Mail's online solution.

I fail to understand how these new taxes will prevent the flow of drug materials. Why can't the bad guys just pay the tax and get on with their business? Albeit with lower profit margins, perhaps, but drugs are big business and they can afford to pay - no?

Here in Boston, I do worry about the implications for next year's show. Really hope the organizers don't end up taking a big loss on this one if dealers decide it's not worth the hassle/risk.

The "wisdom of the crowd" here in the UK is not to take your mobile 'phone and laptop to the States, because of the possibility of the TSA searching said electronic devices for evidence of your bad opinions.

Here's the blurb from Canada Post on how they are going to handle things:

https://www.canadapost-postescanada...updates.page

To ALL SCF members and to our Moderators:

This forum is a philatelic forum, and not a political forum.

This thread has provided some useful reporting about how different countries are reacting to the Tariffs that the US has imposed, and how that will or may interact with the philatelic community in the future.

Let's keep on topic and focus on posts that report facts, and experiences that members have had under these new guidelines, that relate to the philatelic scene. These events do appear to have some impact on our collecting community.

None of us know how this situation will play out. It may have long term effects on our collecting, or it may disappear by the end of the year. But this is not within our control. Let's focus on the sharing of factual information, especially from our international members, who may have better access of information about how to deal with the new situation.

If you feel necessary to discuss the whys and wherefores of the Tariffs, or their political sponsors, then please take that discussion elsewhere. It does not belong on this philatelic forum.

Moderators:

If you disagree with this sentiment, please post the guidelines you want followed as we make our posts.

Thank you.

MikeL

Whatever way you look at it, the cause of all this is a political decision, It was not caused by Mars passing throughthe constellation of Aquarius.

You can hardly expect people who lose a large share of their philatelic business / funding of their philatelic hobby to refrain from expressing their frustrations.

As has been stated many times before, stamps are political by their very existence. Anything that potentially affects the financial end of collecting is also likely to be political in nature. The idea that politics can be separated for every thread and every post on this forum is not dealing with the reality of the above. No one is being forced to read every post of every thread; people should be able to pass by those posts that do not interest them without complaining about what they might say.

I doubt that the frustrations of those dealers / collectors can be resolved by any of the philatelists who post here. Those dealers should address their frustrations to those leaders in their home country who have the ability to resolve the issue.