Where it lands, region by region.
Each briefing confronts the positions of governments, industry and schools of thought, then spells out what it means for parcel volumes, landed cost, networks and contracts.
The small-parcel door closes: who pays, who declares, and where volume goes
The US, the EU, the UK and Japan are ending duty-free treatment for low-value e-commerce parcels, while Brazil has just reopened its door. For carriers and platforms, the question is no longer whether a small parcel pays, but who declares it, on what data and from which warehouse.
Geopolitics · Southeast AsiaASEAN bets on one digital rulebook as every border starts taxing the parcel
Southeast Asia is about to sign a regional digital economy pact while Washington hunts transshipment and its own governments close the low-value parcel gap. For carriers and platforms, origin data and in-market stock now decide who keeps the volume.
Geopolitics · ChinaWestern doors close to China's parcels, so the platforms move the warehouse
Washington extended its truce with Beijing but kept the de minimis door shut, while Brussels now charges every small parcel. China's platforms and carriers answer by shipping in bulk and delivering locally, and small sellers pay the transition.
Regulation · European UnionEurope now charges every parcel. Who absorbs the bill?
Since 1 July a €3 duty applies to every tariff line in a low-value parcel, and from 1 November a €2 handling fee follows. Volumes into the main EU gateways have roughly halved, and the fight is now over who pays, who carries the liability and who owns the data.
Geopolitics · Middle EastHormuz in its eighth month: the parcel pays the fuel bill and the detour
The Iran war has run since 28 February, a June peace deal collapsed in July, and Washington rejected Tehran's latest offer on 26 September. With Brent above $100 and jet fuel more than doubled, surcharges, reroutes and Gulf gateways now set the price of a cross-border parcel.
Trade policy · North AmericaAmerica charges every parcel and puts North America's trade pact on a yearly leash
Washington has written the end of de minimis into customs law, rebuilt its tariffs after the Supreme Court ruling and refused to renew the USMCA. Parcels now clear as full imports, flows inside North America have become one-sided, and margin is moving to whoever holds the broker licence and local stock.
Trade · North AfricaTangier, Suez and the parcel: North Africa's gateway opens as its borders tighten
Morocco's ports and free zones are drawing traffic and Chinese investment, and Suez is slowly reopening. At the same time Rabat, Cairo, Algiers and Tunis are tightening their rules on imports, so the region is getting easier to route through and harder to sell into.
Geopolitics · Latin AmericaBrazil scraps its small-parcel tax before the vote. Latin America splits on the parcel
Brazil has zeroed the federal tax on imports up to US$50 and turned it into law days before the 4 October election, while Mexico taxes Asian parcels harder and Argentina opens up. For carriers and platforms, the next fight is the 2027 consumption tax and the compliance data it will demand.
Geopolitics · United KingdomThe UK's £135 gap: British parcels caught between Washington, Brussels and Beijing
Britain will end duty-free entry for low-value parcels only in October 2028, after the United States and the EU have already closed their doors. Until then the UK is the soft landing for direct Chinese parcels, while British exporters face tougher terms in both of their biggest markets.