Americans Will Pay More for Shein and Temu as Postal Service Halts China Shipments

Update: The United States Postal Service announced today that it is reversing its decision on this and will continue accepting shipments from China. The original article is below.

Americans shopping on services like Shein and Temu could see higher prices and longer delivery times. The U.S. Postal Service is stopping parcel shipments from China and Hong Kong—effective immediately.

📌 Why It Matters: Shein and Temu have grown popular by offering cheap, direct shipping from China. This change, combined with new tariffs and tax rules, could drive up prices for millions of U.S. shoppers.

📦 What’s Happening: The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it will no longer accept parcels from China or Hong Kong. Letters and flats—thin mail up to 15 inches—won’t be affected. The move follows President Trump’s decision to end the “de minimis” exemption, which let small-value packages under $800 enter the U.S. tax-free. The administration also added a 10% tariff on Chinese goods and threatened 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, though they negotiated a temporary exemption.

📊 Between the Lines: Shein and Temu—two of the biggest online marketplaces for cheap goods—will likely see higher shipping costs and longer delivery times. Shein relies more on USPS for its direct-to-consumer model, meaning it may need to shift to private carriers—which cost more. Temu already ships in bulk to U.S. warehouses before distributing orders, making it slightly better positioned to absorb the change.

🇨🇳 China’s Response: China’s Foreign Ministry called the move unfair and promised “necessary measures” to protect its companies. The ministry urged the U.S. to stop politicizing trade and stop targeting Chinese businesses.

🚛 Workarounds & What’s Next: Private carriers like FedEx and UPS will likely pick up some of the slack—but at a higher cost. Shein could expand U.S. warehouses to ship from within the U.S., while Temu may double down on its bulk-shipping strategy. No word yet on how long USPS will keep the suspension in place—but the tariffs and tax changes appear to be permanent.

🌎 The Big Picture: The U.S. is cracking down on cheap Chinese imports, with tariffs and shipping restrictions making it harder for companies like Shein and Temu to dominate the market. For now, shoppers should expect delays and higher prices—with the possibility of even more trade battles ahead.