Beginning March 1, 2023, all shipments to and passing through most countries in the EU will need Harmonized System tariff codes, or HS codes, included on customs forms. More detailed descriptions will be required, meaning general descriptions like “clothing” or “electronics” won’t be accepted. According to the USPS, reasons for the upcoming change are important because they “improve speed and efficiency of cross-border ecommerce” and “meet safety and security requirements, preventing delays, fines, and penalties for noncompliance.” The full list of countries impacted by this change can be found on the USPS website. 

What are HS codes?

HS codes are numerical values given to all goods shipped to countries outside the United States. These codes were created and assigned by the World Customs Organization (WCO); a full list of HS codes can be found on the WCO website. Let’s go through a set of HS codes as an example.

Say you’re shipping coffee to a customer, and the HS code is 090111. Here’s what the numbers within your HS code represent: 

• 09 – The chapter, or first two digits, is used to identify your product’s category
• 01 – The heading, or second two digits, is used to define your product’s attributes
• 11 – The subheading, or last two digits, combines the chapter and heading of your product 

In this case, the chapter would be coffee, the heading might be decaffeinated and roasted, and the subheading would classify your product as coffee, decaffeinated and roasted. 

Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Descriptions 

Vague item descriptions on custom forms such as “gifts,” “clothing,” and even “none” will no longer be considered acceptable descriptions. It’s best practice to have accurate and specific product descriptions that clearly describe the items being traded. 

Unacceptable	Acceptable
Clothes	Men’s cotton shirts, girls’ leather vets, boys’ denim jackets
Fresh Herbs	Basil, thyme, parsley
Sanitary goods	Detergent, toothbrush, towels
Gift	One scented candle, remote-controlled car, silk scarf

Why do HS codes matter?

HS codes help customs offices and departments identify the contents of your package so the proper taxes and duties are applied. Adhering to the new guidelines can prevent your shipments from being held up at customs and/or returned to your business. Also, HS codes help bypass language barriers because items are classified uniformly and easily translated. 

GlobalPost HS Code resources

If you aren’t sure how to classify your product, our partner carrier, GlobalPost, will provide their customers with two free classification services: the On Demand HS Classification Tool and the free HS Code Fulfillment Service. 

The On Demand HS Classification Tool is a searchable database designed to shorten the amount of time spent finding a product’s HS code. This tool is perfect if your business ships a small number of international orders, as you can search for up to five free classifications daily. There are also no additional requirements to use this tool. 

The free HS Code Fulfillment Service takes the hassle out of finding the HS code. If your business is using GlobalPost for international shipping, GlobalPost will assign the HS code once your shipment reaches the GlobalPost warehouse as long as you have a description of your products. The same goes for customs forms. Shipments sent using GlobalPost don’t need printed customs forms, as GlobalPost will assign forms once a shipment arrives at their facility. 

The inclusion of HS codes being mandated for shipments to the EU may seem like additional work. However, HS codes can shorten the amount of time your shipment sits in customs. It also decreases the chance of returned shipments or the incorrect amount of taxes and duties being applied.

If your business ships a higher volume of international shipments, consider using GlobalPost as your carrier of choice. Using GlobalPost eliminates searching for HS codes on your own, as GlobalPost’s Free HS Code Fulfillment Service will apply HS codes to your shipments for you. For more information on the new mandate for HS codes, we recommend reaching out to trade experts and service providers or visiting the World Customs Organization (WCO) website. 

Note: This blog will be updated as we receive news regarding the new EU HS code requirements, so check back for new/additional information. 

Stamps.com today announces the next phase of its decades-long partnership with the United States Post Office (USPS). In a renewed, direct agreement between the USPS and Stamps.com’s parent company, Auctane, we can now offer our customers lower shipping rates than ever before. 

What are the new USPS rates?

Our new agreement with USPS gives our valued customers the lowest USPS rates in the industry. Users can now expect savings of up to 89% off retail rates and up to 15% off Commercial Plus Pricing (CPP) on Priority Mail®. Stamps.com offers all the mail classes and delivery services of USPS right from the convenience of your computer.

When will rates go into effect? 

The new USPS rates have gone into effect as of October 19, 2022. Stamps.com customers automatically have access to these new rates. They do not need to take any steps to access them. 

Holiday Surcharges

In addition to automatically getting discounted rates, customers can (thankfully!) avoid high holiday surcharges this season. One thing to note, these holiday surcharges don’t apply to the weight and zone prices at CPP. But if it’s below CPP, you can avoid these surcharges!

What does this mean for Stamps.com customers?

As a Stamps.com customer, our renewed agreement with USPS gives you more savings on shipping costs than ever before. We want to ensure that our customers can manage their shipping operations efficiently, and our new agreement with USPS is another way we’ll continue to keep your shipping process running smoothly.

The U.S. Postal Service has TEMPORARILY suspended Priority Mail International delivery to China as of Friday, January 28, 2022 due to transportation issues.

If your Priority Mail International parcel is already in transit, the USPS will transport the parcel to China and delivery is expected to be delayed. For packages entering the mail stream after January 28, 2022, the USPS will endorse the item as “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender,” returning the parcel to the sender. The USPS will provide a full refund of the shipping costs paid when service to the country of destination is suspended.

Alternate Delivery Options to China
If you have a shipment you need to send to China during this suspension period, we recommend the following options:

• UPS International Shipping: Get discounted rates up to 86% off with no peak surcharge

• GlobalPost International Standard: Get door-to-door tracking capabilities to over 200 countries

What is GlobalPost International Standard?
GlobalPost International Standard uses a network of postal carriers which provides a similar service to First Class Package International Service at a lower rate. If you don’t see GlobalPost International Standard as an option in your Stamps.com shipping software, contact Customer Care at 1-888-434-0055 (open Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm PT) to request access to GlobalPost carrier services.

The U.S. Postal Service has TEMPORARILY suspended mail and parcel delivery to Hong Kong due to transportation issues with widespread cancellations and restrictions throughout the Hong Kong territory. Delivery service was suspended starting on Friday, January 14, 2022.

The USPS mailing and shipping disruption includes the following services:

• Priority Mail Express International
• Priority Mail International
• First Class Parcel International Service
• First Class Mail International

If your parcel is already in transit, either the USPS or Hongkong Post will endorse the item as “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place the package in the mail stream for return. The USPS will provide a full refund of the shipping costs paid when service to the country of destination is suspended.

Alternate Delivery Options to Hong Kong
If you have a shipment you need to send to Hong Kong during this suspension period, we recommend the following options:

• UPS International Shipping – get discounted rates up to 86% off with no peak surcharge
• GlobalPost International Standard – Get door-to-door tracking capabilities to over 200 countries

What is GlobalPost International Standard?
GlobalPost International Standard uses a network of postal carriers which provides a similar service to First Class Package International Service at a lower rate. If you don’t see GlobalPost International Standard as an option in your Stamps.com shipping software, contact Customer Care at 1-888-434-0055 (open Monday to Friday, 6 am to 6 pm PT) to request access to GlobalPost carrier services.

The USPS has announced they will be reducing the size of some free Priority Mail boxes and envelopes. Two Priority Mail envelopes and six Priority Mail boxes will be getting smaller, with the reductions ranging from 1/8″ smaller in length on the Priority Mail Tyvek envelope to 2 1/2″ smaller in width on the Priority Mail Regional Rate Box B.

The USPS states these changes are being made to help process Priority Mail boxes and envelopes more efficiently on their sorting equipment, reducing the need for manual package sortation.

Priority Mail Box Size Changes

Item	Service	USPS Store SKU	OLD Outside Dimensions	NEW Outside Dimensions	Summary of Change
Envelope	Priority Mail Tyvek Envelope	EP14	11-5/8” (W) x 15-1/8” (L)	11-5/8” (W) x 15” (L)	Length of envelope is getting smaller by 1/8"
Envelope	Priority Mail APO/FPO Tyvek Envelope (Mili-Pac)	MILIPAC	11-5/8” (W) x 15-1/8” (L)	11-5/8” (W) x 15” (L)	Length of envelope is getting smaller by 1/8"
Box	Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box	LFRB	6” (H) x 12-1/4” (W) x 12-1/4” (L)	6” (H) x 12” (W) x 12-1/4” (L)	Width of box is getting 1/4" smaller
Box	Priority Mail APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box	MILIFRB	6” (H) x 12-1/4” (W) x 12-1/4” (L)	6” (H) x 12” (W) x 12-1/4” (L)	Width of box is getting 1/4" smaller
Box	Priority Mail	0-1092 Box	2-7/8” (H) x 12-1/4” (W) x 13-11/16” (L)	2-7/8” (H) x 12” (W) x 13-11/16” (L)	Width of box is getting 1/4" smaller
Box	Priority Mail	0-1095 Box	3-1/8” (H) x 12-1/2” (W) x 15-5/8” (L)	3-1/8” (H) x 12’ (W) x 15” (L)	Width of box is getting 1/2" smaller, length getting 5/8" smaler
Box	Priority Mail Regional Rate Box B	RRB-B2	3” (H) x 14-1/2” (W) x 16-1/4” (L)	3” (H) x 12” (W) x 15” (L)	Width of box is getting 2 1/2" smaller, length is getting 1 1/4" smaler
Box	Priority Mail	Box 7	8-1/2” (H) x 12-1/4” (W) x 12-1/4” (L)	8-1/2” (H) x 12” (W) x12-1/4” (L)	Width of box is getting 1/4" smaller

Online retailers who have extra stock of the older box sizes will still be able to use the USPS free shipping supplies until their boxes and envelopes are exhausted. The new box sizes started shipping from the USPS.com site in late September 2021.