USA, guess who's back
USA, guess who's back
First, the introduction of a 15% customs tariff on products manufactured in France — including ours.
Second, the early termination of the de minimis exemption, originally expected in 2026 or 2027, but unexpectedly enforced at the end of August 2025.
The impact was immediate: U.S. Customs stopped accepting any parcels without prepaid duties. As a result, most European postal services — including La Poste in France — suspended their shipments to the United States.
We immediately reached out to our U.S. customers to inform them, even though we had no idea how long this situation would last.
An outstanding and highly reactive logistics partner
In the face of this unprecedented disruption, our logistics partner showed remarkable reactivity and dedication.
Throughout September and October, we held back-to-back meetings as they continued to search actively for a viable workaround, despite the strict new customs requirements.
Thanks to their commitment, a first solution came to life at the end of October: a hybrid shipping model combining La Poste in France and FedEx in the United States.
This setup worked technically, but the cost remained an issue. Shipping fees were around €30, more than double our usual rate. Even when lowered to €20, it was still difficult for many customers to accept.
Early November: a breakthrough
Everything changed at the beginning of November.
Our logistics partner informed us that they might have found the perfect solution: the return of our former shipping provider, able once again to handle all customs clearance upfront.
After a mid-November testing phase, the results were excellent. The solution proved reliable, stable, and—most importantly—fully compliant with the new customs rules.
Regular U.S. shipping is back at €13
We were finally able to restore our standard U.S. shipping option, including:
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the original €13 rate (approximately $15),
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a slightly longer processing time as parcels must now be individually checked by customs to validate duty payments.
This return to normal couldn’t come at a better time — just ahead of Black Friday.
A huge thank you
We want to thank:
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our logistics partner, for their incredible work, their reactivity, and their ability to find solutions when everything seemed blocked;
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our U.S. customers, for their patience during these months of uncertainty. Some even placed orders despite the temporarily high shipping costs — we are truly grateful for your trust.
Thanks to all of you, USA… guess who's back.
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