Somewhere in a warehouse right now, a box full of tea, a telescope, and a handblown glass decanter are sitting under fluorescent lights. They’re waiting for a decision from U.S. Customs. Or maybe they’ve already been destroyed. No one, including UPS and the addressees, seems to know for sure.

While customers await that iconic brown box truck, they’re finding out that their deliveries might never arrive.

Thousands of U.S.-bound UPS packages are trapped in “customs purgatory”

UPS confirmed the mess. It explained that new White House rules have forced the company to start disposing of shipments that can’t clear inspection.

The change comes from the Trump administration’s repeal of the “de minimis” exemption, which for years allowed goods under $800 to enter the country duty-free.

That exemption made international shopping easy and cheap.

But as of August 29, every package (no matter the price tag) is now treated like a high-stakes import

Customs brokers said the sudden switch has jammed up processing lines nationwide.

According to Moneywise, one described it as “totally unprecedented.”

The White House defends the move as a crackdown on smuggling and counterfeit goods

Officials said nearly all narcotics and fake merchandise seized in 2024 came through de minimis shipments.

“De minimis shipments accounted for 90% of all cargo seizures in FY 24. These shipments often broke the law with 98% of narcotics seized from cargo falling under the de minimis exemption, as well as 97% of counterfeit items seized.”

By tightening the rules, the administration hopes to block drug traffickers who’ve been hiding fentanyl and other contraband in small parcels.

For UPS, the fallout has been ugly

The company said over 90% of imports still clear customs within a day. Still, the remaining 10% adds up to thousands of boxes stalled or scrapped for incomplete paperwork.

If a shipper fails to provide every detail Customs demands, the package is marked abandoned and destroyed “in compliance with U.S. regulations.”

UPS customers can file a claim, but only within 60 days

And not if the package’s final destination was a government incinerator.

UPS now urges senders to double-check invoices, tariff codes, and insurance before shipping. It’s certainly a tough new era for cross-border e-commerce, where a missing customs form can turn a Christmas gift into government evidence.