(Editor’s note: Tariffs are constantly changing, mostly on the whims of Donald Trunmp. Be sure to check the latest rates here before mailing goods to the United States.)
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the post office….
After the annual craziness of sending mail, international or domestic, during the holiday season, postal systems are hopefully a little closer to “normal.” But if you’ve been looking at social media lately, you may have heard warnings that it’s impossible, or at least prohibitively expensive, to send letters and packages from Britain to the United States.
When did this start?
Ever since the tariffs President Donald Trump announced in 2025, and the end of the de minimis exemption to customs charges came into force.
Is it true that mail between the US and UK has changed, or even ended? How can you send letters and packages to friends, family, or business contacts stateside? Well, it’s a little complicated, but nothing that can’t be overcome.
Let’s have a look at some of the details:
Can I send mail from the UK to the US?
Yes, you can! The Royal Mail did suspend postal services to the United States for a period of time following the announcement of the tariffs, as did companies such as UPS, Evri, and DHL. Happily, the issues in determining new shipping rates have been resolved, and shipping from the UK to the US has resumed.
It may cost a little more to mail things to the US than pre-tariffs, though. In particular, the cost of sending packages has risen, and if you’re sending things above a certain value, you may have to pay a customs charge. If you’re sending gifts to family and friends, you will be asked to estimate the value of your package, and if the value is more than £100, you will have to pay extra. There are also safety restrictions on what you can send, the main one being that aerosols (like those in perfume atomizers) cannot be sent in the mail.
Remember, the excess charges will go up for larger and/or heavier packages. The good news is, it’s still relatively inexpensive (generally less than £5) to send birthday or holiday cards or old-fashioned letters from the UK to the US.
I sell things online in the UK. Can I sell to Americans and ship to them?
In a word, yes. In two words, “it’s complicated.” The “de minimis” exemption previously meant that small sellers who specialized in relatively inexpensive items did not have to worry about import charges, let alone tariffs, for items where the (US-based) customer was paying under $800.
The end of that exemption has meant that many small retailers have had to check US-UK tariff rates, and in many cases, update their prices to cover the costs of the tariffs.
If you’re a small seller, with an Etsy shop, Ebay account, or similar, you will likely find yourself in this same situation. You’ll have to decide if continuing shipping to US customers makes sense for your business—many UK sellers have stopped offering shipping to the US. If you decide to continue shipping to the US, check online what the tariff rates you’ll be dealing with are before deciding if and how to update your prices.
Well, what about sending mail from the US to the UK?
Sending mail from the US to the UK was never particularly impacted by tariffs, and is continuing as normal. That being said, it’s important to check if you will need to pay customs fees once your package arrives in the UK. This is often the case with items above a certain value (£135 for purchases, £39 for gifts) sent via Royal Mail or other courier services. However, if you do owe unpaid customs fees, the courier will notify you, along with providing information on how to pay them and receive your items.
I heard more tariffs are coming. What then?
Recently, President Trump proposed new tariffs against the United Kingdom until the so-called Greenland dispute is resolved. Under his initial proposal, the UK would have been one of the countries, along with Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and others, to have substantial tariffs imposed. Thankfully, these tariffs have been canceled. It’s entirely possible that further tariffs will be enacted at some future date, but both the UK government and anyone living in the UK will have plenty of advance warning if that’s the case. In the meantime, feel free to make sales, send gifts, and more!
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See more from Ellery here in Dispatches’ archives.
Ellery Weil
Dr. Ellery Weil is a writer and historian based in London. She was born in Washington, DC, raised in Maryland, and attended undergrad in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before moving to the UK to attend grad school at University College London, where she earned her PhD in History. She lives in London with her husband, where you can find her writing, reading, petting dogs in Regent's Park, and exploring the city's antique markets.
