Tue, 14 Oct 2025

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 US shipping chaos: I fear my wedding saree is destroyed

Customers worry about missing parcels as shipping companies struggle to handle a flood of packages facing new customs and tariff rules.

* Graduate student Nicole Lobo's 10 boxes shipped by UPS in late August still haven't arrived, and she fears they may be lost or destroyed due to the company's struggles with new customs and tariff rules.
* The Trump administration's decision in late August to stop allowing parcels worth less than $800 to enter the US without inspection, taxes, or tariffs has led to a flood of packages facing new processing and documentation requirements.
* UPS customers like Nicole and engineer Janani Mohan have reported hours on hold and frantic phone calls trying to resolve issues with their shipments.
* Businesses such as Oregon-based Mizuba Tea Co. have seen five shipments worth over $100,000 held up in processing, with conflicting alerts about the status of their items.
* Shipping companies are blaming the Trump administration's rapid changes to tariff rules for the problems, saying that importers are struggling to meet customs deadlines and submit required documentation.
* UPS says it is still successfully clearing more than 90% of international packages within a day of arrival, but acknowledges longer shipping times and higher costs across the industry.
* Some customers have reported receiving no word from UPS about issues with their shipments before seeing tracking alerts that their package would be disposed of.
* FedEx has said it does not typically destroy packages unless directed to do so by the shipper.
* The problems are causing real costs for businesses, including Swedish candy exporter Swedish Candy Land, which says more than 700 packages sent via UPS have been held up and cost them around $50,000 in refunds.
* Experts say the ripple effects of the problem are being felt across the supply chain, even on businesses not affected by the de minimis exemption from tariffs.
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