A number of European postal agencies have started pausing or cutting off shipments to the U.S., citing uncertainty over the end of the so-called de minimis tariff exemption this week.

Why it matters: Small-dollar commerce — and gift-giving — could grind to a halt in the coming days, threatening the flow of hundreds of millions of packages a year.

Catch up quick: In late July, President Trump formally revoked the de minimis exemption, which excluded packages worth $800 or less from tariffs. • He'd previously lifted the exemption for packages from China; as of August 29, it goes away for all other countries, too.

Zoom out: Many European carriers, citing uncertainty about the new rules and a lack of time to create enforcement mechanisms, have opted to pause sending packages to the U.S. a

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