USA Suspension of Orders

TL;DR

New regulations introduced by the US Government mean we will be unable to ship orders to customers in the US. We hope this will be temporary, but at the time of writing there is no viable solution. Orders for shipment to the US will therefore be suspended indefinitely from Friday 22nd August, so if you want to get an order in, do it now while you still can!

The Background

Historically, packages containing goods valued at less than $800 have been allowed to enter the US with minimal Customs scrutiny and free of taxes, duties and tariffs under a ‘de minimis’ exemption. 

We have always used the Royal Mail postal service, handing over to USPS, for delivery of our packages to US customers, which has allowed us to offer a (mostly) frictionless service making use of the de minimis exemption.

As part of President Trump’s international trade policies, an executive order has been issued which will end this de minimis exemption, coming into effect August 29th 2025. This means that all goods entering the US will become subject to charges. 

What this means for us, and you

Usually, when we ship a package internationally, it is assessed for taxes and duties after it arrives in the destination country, and these are collected by the local carrier in that country for remittance to Customs. As an example, this has allowed us to continue shipping to the European Union since Brexit, since our customers in the EU simply pay a small additional cost for Customs release.

Unfortunately the US has chosen to do things differently, and not allow packages to enter the country unless the charges due have been paid in advance. 

Put simply, the complexities and costs of this system, both in terms of Customs declarations and calculating the additional charges, make it impossible for a small business like ours to manage administratively. 

More importantly, we cannot absorb the cost, meaning we would be forced to pass it on to you. We estimate that this could add $50-$100 to the cost of shipping, which is not going to be viable for anyone.

For all these reasons, we have no choice but to indefinitely suspend ordering for our US customers from Friday 22nd August, giving us time to get outstanding packages dispatched and through Customs before the new regulations kick in on the 29th.

What happens next?

Honestly, we don’t know. Obviously we don’t want to do this, and we will be doing everything we can to find a solution so that we can resume service to our friends across the pond. We sincerely hope that will be possible.

We have taken the decision to suspend orders based on worst case scenarios, and so we can avoid being unable to fulfil orders or needing to add unreasonable extra charges, so it is possible that as the new system beds in we may be able to find a way through which isn’t quite as bad as it currently seems.

Also, as we’ve all seen over the past few months, tariff and trade policy decisions from the Trump administration have been unpredictable, so something may change which gives us an opportunity to make things work again. If we can, we will.

Order deadline 

You can still place orders for delivery to the US, but only until Friday 22nd. However, we may bring this date forward if we receive a large number of orders, so that we can process and dispatch them in good time. If you plan to place a final order before the window closes therefore, please don’t wait. We strongly suggest placing your order this weekend.

Stock availability may fluctuate, and we may need to contact you to discuss substitutions or variations, so please ensure you use your account and/or enter your email address correctly when ordering. If you want to confirm stock availability before ordering, please get in touch. We will be available throughout the weekend to answer any queries.

We have arranged with suppliers to provide express re-stocking and delivery of special order items. However some items may not be available within the tight timeframe we have. Please contact us for advice if you wish to order items with specified lead times on the product page.

We will do everything in our power to fulfil orders as completely as possible and dispatch them to arrive in the US before everything changes on the 29th. Once again, please help us to do that by ordering without delay and making sure we can contact you in case of any issues.