Shipping from Germany to the USA: Understanding Current Customs Delays and U.S. Tariffs
For more than 20 years, Arctic Antiques has been shipping fossil mammoth ivory and other natural history specimens from Germany to customers throughout the United States. During this time, we have gained extensive experience with international shipping, customs procedures and import documentation.
The United States has introduced new tariff measures and suspended duty-free de minimis treatment under the Executive Orders issued by President Donald J. Trump. As a result, the customs process for international shipments entering the United States has changed significantly.
This article is intended as a general guide for our valued customers across the United States to explain in detail the current shipping situation and why delivery times from Germany to the USA are now often considerably longer than they were previously.
Why Are Shipments Taking Longer?
Before the implementation of the current U.S. tariff regulations, parcels shipped from Germany to the United States were generally processed much more quickly after arrival.
Today, virtually every international shipment entering the United States must undergo additional customs processing. As a result, parcels often remain at central U.S. customs and logistics hubs for considerably longer than was previously the case while import procedures are completed.
Because these procedures are still relatively new, processing times can vary significantly from one U.S. state to another, depending on local customs workflows and operational procedures. Consequently, delivery times are no longer as predictable as they once were.
This situation continues to develop. On June 24, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published new regulations that indefinitely suspend the duty-free de minimis exemption and establish a dedicated postal informal entry process for shipments arriving through the international mail network, such as ours. This new process becomes effective on July 24, 2026, with certain related compliance requirements following on October 22, 2026. We are monitoring these regulatory changes closely.
How Long Does Shipping Currently Take?
One of the questions we are asked most often is simple: how long will my parcel actually take to arrive?
As explained above, shipping times from Germany to the USA currently vary significantly, and once a parcel has left Germany, this is entirely outside our control.
Here is what we can tell you. On our side, we do everything possible to make the process as fast as we can. If your order is placed on a business day (Monday to Friday), we aim to dispatch it within 24 hours of receiving it. This is the part of the process we control, and we take it very seriously.
From that point onward, however, the timeline depends almost entirely on how quickly U.S. customs processes your parcel, and this varies enormously and unpredictably (see "Once Your Parcel Leaves Germany" below). Some customers receive their parcel within around two business weeks. Others wait more than four weeks, through no fault of ours, and unfortunately none of our own making either.
We wish we could give you a precise, guaranteed delivery date. Given the current U.S. customs environment, we simply cannot. What we can promise is this: we dispatch quickly, we prepare every shipment correctly, and we monitor it closely until it reaches you.
This Affects Every Customer Importing Goods into the USA
The current situation is not unique to Arctic Antiques or to fossil mammoth ivory shipments.
It affects customers throughout the United States who purchase goods from abroad, including shipments originating from Germany and other European Union countries. Regardless of the type of product being imported, international parcels are generally subject to the same customs environment established under current U.S. regulations.
Once Your Parcel Leaves Germany
Once we hand your shipment to DHL Premium in Germany, it begins its journey through the international postal network and eventually enters the U.S. customs system.
From that point onward, the customs clearance process is handled entirely by the relevant U.S. authorities. Unfortunately, we have absolutely no influence over how long customs processing will take, and we cannot accelerate, prioritise or bypass these procedures in any way.
As a German exporter, we fully comply with all applicable German, European Union and United States export and customs regulations.
Why Tracking Updates Sometimes Stop
One of the most common questions we currently receive concerns shipment tracking.
Because parcels may remain within U.S. customs processing for extended periods, it is not unusual for online tracking information to remain unchanged for several weeks.
An unchanged tracking status does not automatically indicate that a shipment has been lost. In many cases, the parcel is simply awaiting customs processing before continuing through the domestic U.S. delivery network.
Should a shipment ever become undeliverable or be refused by U.S. Customs or the carrier, it is normally returned automatically to our office in Germany. If this happens, we will contact the customer immediately as soon as we receive the relevant information.
Why We Ship with DHL Premium
Customers occasionally ask whether we can ship by DHL Express, FedEx Express, UPS Express, or another premium express courier instead. We understand why, and we would like to explain our reasoning honestly and in full.
Express couriers such as these operate their own separate, faster logistics networks, entirely distinct from the standard international postal network we use. This speed comes at a significant price: express services typically cost around five times more than what we currently charge for shipping.
Independently of that higher shipping cost, we have also found that express couriers charge substantial fees of their own for processing shipments through customs more quickly. Combined with the underlying import duty, this can push the total amount owed to well over 30% of the invoice value. Understandably, our customers did not want to pay such a steep additional charge simply to receive their own parcel, and in every such case the parcel was declined and sent back to us as a result. We completely understand this decision — no one should have to pay an extra 30% on top of what they have already spent just to receive their purchase.
Over our many years operating in this niche market, we have tried every express shipping option available, and the result has consistently been the same: a much higher shipping cost, combined with import charges of up to 30% of the invoice value, charged directly to our customers in the United States. This simply does not make sense, and it is not an outcome we are willing to risk on our customers' behalf.
If you would prefer to arrange your own express shipping, this remains entirely possible. Simply let us know, and we will prepare your parcel, together with all the necessary documentation, ready for collection from our office in Germany by a courier of your choice. Please note that, in this case, we are unable to cover the shipping costs or any import duties charged by U.S. customs on arrival; these would be for your own account.
We know this situation is far from ideal, and we want to be honest with you about it: this is simply not something within our control. It is the new reality following the introduction of the current U.S. tariffs, and it affects everyone in this position — most of all our customers in the United States, who ultimately bear the cost of it. We are sorry that this is the situation, and we are doing everything we possibly can on our end. We are grateful for your understanding, and we believe that, together, we will get through this, and that the situation will eventually improve for everyone.
We Appreciate Your Patience
We fully understand that longer delivery times can be frustrating.
Unfortunately, the current customs procedures are established under U.S. law and apply to international shipments entering the United States. These procedures are entirely outside our control, and there is nothing we can do to shorten the customs process once a parcel has arrived in the USA.
We therefore kindly ask all of our U.S. customers for their patience and understanding while these customs procedures are completed.
Our Commitment to Our U.S. Customers
The United States has been one of our most important markets for many years, and we remain committed to providing secure international shipping, accurate customs documentation and professional customer service.
Although delivery times are currently longer than they were before the implementation of the new U.S. tariff measures, we continue to prepare every shipment carefully, provide complete export documentation and monitor every parcel until it reaches its final destination.
If you have any questions regarding your shipment, customs documentation or delivery status, please feel free to contact us at info@arcticantiques.com
References
- The White House. Continuing the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries (Executive Order 14388, February 20, 2026).
- The White House. Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries (Executive Order 14324, July 30, 2025).
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process, 91 Fed. Reg. 37801 (June 24, 2026; effective July 24, 2026).
