Changes to US import tariffs explained

We have resumed postal services to the US and its Overseas Territories, including Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands for business customers shipping to these destinations.

We plan to resume all remaining retail postal services, including gifts valued over USD$100 and business lodgements requiring postage assessment over the counter, on or before Tuesday 7 October 2025. 

We have worked with best efforts to expedite the processing of parcels lodged or received by our facilities prior to this date, to give them the best chance of delivery in the US. However, we can’t guarantee that parcels will be delivered even if lodged on or before 26 August 2025.

Items that were lodged on or after 26 August 2025 will be returned to sender.

We’re working with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and CBP to clarify further. Goods that enter the US after 29 August may be rejected by USPS or CBP and returned to sender.with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and CBP to clarify further. Goods that enter the US after 29 August may be rejected by USPS or CBP and returned to sender.

Bona fide gifts require engangement with Zonos® or a CBP-approved qualified third-party to be sent, for the purpose of reporting the gifts to CBP prior to the arrival of the items. CBP will then conduct an inspection and determine whether a customs duty exemption really applies.

CBP have clarified that a “bona fide gift” is an item that was previously owned by a donor who has given outright in its entirety to a done without compensation or promise of compensation.

Items acquired by purchase, barter, promissory exchange, or similar transaction are not considered bona fide gifts by CBP.

Items said to be “given” in conjunction with a purchase, barter, promissory exchange, similar transaction or deemed as “bonus” items, are not considered bona fide gifts by CBP.

Sending a bona fide gift from an individual to an individual in the US:

• The parcel should be clearly marked on the outside and on the customs declaration label to indicate that it contains a gift.
• Ordinarily, CBP will recognise a parcel not exceeding USD$100 in fair retail value as a bona fide gift from the nature of the parcel and the obvious facts surrounding the shipment.

Sending a bona fide gift from a business to an individual in the US:

• Ordinarily, CBP will not recognise a parcel sent from a business to an individual in the US as containing a bona fide gift.
• However, when a parcel does in fact contain a bona fide gift from a business (as the donor) and should be entitled to the bona fide gift exemption, the parcel should be clearly marked to indicate that it contains a bona fide gift, and a statement to this effect should also be enclosed in the parcel.

To send a bona fide gift, the customs declaration label for the parcel should have the gift category selected.

Yes, during the temporary suspension, you can still send letters and documents of no commercial value. These services are not impacted by the new tariff rules or temporary suspension. However, it is important to note, that when sending, you must still declare a value in AUD when lodging. The value declared must be no less than AUD$1.00.

No, the process for shipments valued over USD$800 has not changed. Shipments valued over USD$800 will continue to follow the same duty collection and payment process currently in place and has been in place prior to the US Executive Order 14324. Shipments over USD$800 are not affected by the Executive Order, and the receiver continue to be responsible for paying the import duties and fees. Your Zonos® Verified Account should only be used for postal shipments valued under USD$800.

Customers sending to the US and its overseas territories can still use a 6-digit HS tariff code. You must use either a 6-digit, 8-digit or 10-digit HS tariff code. 

A 10-digit HTS code will not be required by CBP approved third parties when sending to the US or its overseas territories until 28 February 2026.

International Services is working with the USPS to clarify. However, we understand that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs do not apply to goods made in the US (i.e. have a US Country of Origin). In the Zonos® dashboard, if the item has a US COO, it will come up with a 0% tariff for the postal channel.

For MyPost Business (MPB) account holders, your Australia Post Business Customer Number (APBCN) is a unique 8-digit number associated with your MPB account.

This can be found on your MPB dashboard on the Send & Save page under your unique QR Code.

For business contract customers, you can find your Merchant Location ID (MLID), a 3–5 character alphanumeric ID in your Parcel Send portal or Shipping API configuration.

If unsure, contact your Australia Post account manager.

No, if your business is already integrated with Zonos® services via API integrators or platform partners, you do not need to sign up for a Zonos® Verified Account. Instead, please ensure you provide your MLID to your Zonos® support representative. 

Instead of registering again, you can create a Verified Account and connect to your existing Zonos® Account through your Zonos® dashboard. To do so:

• Log into your Zonos® dashboard and select the Integrations tab.
• Select the Connect an account button on the top right.
• Select Australia Post in the list of available integrations.
• You'll be prompted to enter your Australia Post shipping number/ID (MLID or APBCN).
• Select Setup integration to create the connected Verified Account.

This Verified Account will be connected to your existing Zonos® account. Any orders placed via your eCommerce website using Zonos®'s integration will only appear on the eCommerce dashboard account that you are used to.

If you ship other orders (such as those you receive through a different selling platform, not integrated with Zonos®) with your Australia Post business account, they will appear on your Verified Account dashboard. You can toggle between the two accounts by selecting your account name in the top right corner of the Zonos® dashboard.

If you hold a MyPost account and a MyPost Business account, and want to send to the US through both accounts you need to ensure both accounts are separately registered as Zonos® Verified Accounts.

For your MyPost account, register with Zonos® using your Australia Post Customer Number (APCN).

For your MyPost Business account, register with your Australia Post Business Customer Number (APBCN).

Where do I find my APCN?

For MyPost account holders, your APCN is a unique 10-digit number associated with your MyPost account.

This number can be found in your MyPost dashboard by selecting your Profile icon (your initials at the top right of the screen) and selecting “My profile” from the menu. Your APCN is on the Profile page under Personal details.

If you intend to ship using multiple platforms (e.g. MyPost Business, MyPost, Parcel Send, etc), you will have different Australia Post IDs and will need to create Verified Accounts for each.

In the Zonos® Dashboard, you can easily toggle between them by clicking your account in the top left.

To add other Australia Post IDs, follow these steps on your Zonos® Dashboard:

1. Log in to your Zonos Dashboard.

2. Click Settings in the left menu.

3. Click Integrations in the left menu.

4. Click Set up new integration.

5. Select Australia Post.

6. Enter your MLID, APCN or APBCN.

7. Click Set up integration.

Please note: If you already have a payment method on file, the same payment method will be connected to each new account you create.

You can check whether you have completed the registration process correctly and have a Zonos® Verified Account through your Zonos® Dashboard. 

Verified customers can see an 'Account Key' in their Zonos® Verified Account, displayed as a tab on the left toolbar. If unverified, this will not be available and will show an error requesting the required information to gain access to the feature. 

If you update any business details or your Australia Post Shipping Identifier after verifying your Zonos® Verified Account, we recommend waiting at least 30 minutes before generating shipping labels or creating manifests and proceeding to ship with Australia Post following your usual process.

This allows Zonos' systems to update and reconfigure the connection between your Zonos® Verified Account and your Australia Post account, to help minimise the risk of returns. 

Postal operators, like Australia Post, must work with an approved authorised third-party or carrier to collect and remit tariffs on behalf of postal operators and customers to comply with the de minimis changes and US CBP requirements.

Zonos® is one of the first authorised third parties approved by the US authorities. Australia Post has been working with Zonos® to develop and implement a solution for our customers, so we can resume sending to the US and its overseas territories as soon as practicable. 

You do not have to pay any additional fees to Australia Post as part of these new duty collection and payment requirements.

As part of Australia Post’s partnership with Zonos®, Australia Post business customers with a Zonos® Verified Account are only required to pay duties (based on the Country of Origin of the product), and the Zonos® handling fee (10% of payable duties) and admin processing fee (flat fee). This will be invoiced to you directly by Zonos®.

There is no flat-free subscription required, or any additional charges or fees associated for Australia Post business customers with a Zonos® account.

No, the Zonos® handling fee and admin processing fee applies to the parcel in its entirety and not for individual items in the parcel. 

No. At this time, CBP has advised that there they will not issue refunds on duty payments for items that are undeliverable or returned to sender.

Australia Post is working with CBP to determine how merchandise returns are treated. Current CBP advice for merchandise returns indicate that they will be subject to tariffs and require processing through the Zonos® Verified Account process.

There are several reasons why an article may be rejected at the Gateway and returned to you. To avoid returns, you must ensure:

• You register with Zonos® for a free Zonos® Verified Account and provide the correct Australia Post ID for your platforms and accounts 
• You accurately and fully declare all articles in accordance with the mandatory customs requirements, and that all articles include: 
  • Country of Origin (this refers to the country of manufacture). 
  • Harmonised System (HS) tariff code. o Value of Goods weight. 
  • Weight values. 
• You only manifest your shipments after you have registered with Zonos® and have a Zonos® Verified Account. Shipments not linked to a Zonos® Verified Account and can’t have duties paid to CBP, will be returned. Shipments lodged without a manifest will be returned if not provided within 3 business days.