Thank you, Mr. President!

US Customs policy stifles e-commerce: how bureaucracy and shipping hurdles are hurting small businesses

The new reality for European merchants

Ever since Donald Trump took office as US President again, European businesses exporting high-value goods to the United States have faced growing hurdles. One of the most noticeable consequences: European post offices now only accept merchandise shipments to the US up to a value of 100 USD. For industries dealing in jewelry, gemstones, or other luxury goods, this means severely restricted access to the US market.

Courier services as an alternative? Think again!

Those hoping to bypass the issue by using private courier services quickly hit a wall. The reality is sobering:

• blanket refusals: many couriers do not ship jewelry or gemstones at all, regardless of value.
• laughable value limits: others impose arbitrary caps, such as $300—a joke for high-end items like gemstones.
• exorbitant fees: still others charge exorbitant fees that render shipping completely uneconomical.

A real-world example: the ruby that never arrived

An American customer ordered a ruby valued at 630 euros in our webshop. The payment was processed by credit card—the sale seemed complete. But then came the reality check: the only courier service even willing to consider the transport demanded nearly 250 euros for delivery. A surcharge of almost 40% of the item's value—understandably unacceptable to the customer.

The result: the sale fell through. The payment had to be refunded. Deal lost, customer frustrated, effort wasted.

Thank you very much, Mr. President!