Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
Update (8:49 AM ET February 5, 2025): Official documentation from the US Customs and Border Patrol states that all shipments from China will now be subject to formal processing fees, regardless of their value. The USPS has resumed accepting packages from China and Hong Kong, but will begin collecting fees and tariffs.
Original article (8:15 AM ET February 5, 2025): The gaming handheld market has exploded in recent years, but now everything has come crashing to a halt with a short post on the USPS website: “Effective Feb. 4, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend only international package acceptance of inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts until further notice.”
While the text says it only affects China Post and Hong Kong Post, the reality has been different. As reported by Wired, transportation companies are already having trucks turned away at the border if they contain packages from China.
Nearly every gaming handheld on the market is made in China and typically ships from there. This is the case for smaller companies selling on AliExpress and fan favorites like Retroid, which sells on its own website.
Handhelds could be subject to 30% taxes, plus $3-22 in flat customs fees.
It’s worth pointing out that most of these shipments don’t go through USPS, but the announcement will likely have a chilling effect on the rest of the industry. After all, everything has to pass through US Customs, which has already stepped up inspection and enforcement.
This is happening because of a recent executive order by President Trump, which not only adds a 10% tariff to goods from China but also eliminates the de minimis customs exception on goods under $800. Previously, this meant packages could come into the US without customs inspections or fees, leading to the flourishing of platforms like AliExpress and Temu. An estimated 1.36 billion packages entered the US this way in 2024.
The Biden administration also proposed the idea of removing the de minimis exemption but never finalized any plans. It’s not yet clear what the results of this change will be, but buyers could be looking at not just taxes and tariff costs, but also expensive customs fees.
According to Taki Udon, a popular handheld reviewer and creator, flat customs fees can range anywhere from $3-22, plus 35% of the declared value in taxes. For the cheap handhelds that have flooded the market in recent years, that could be game over.
