Entrepreneur switches to Spain, shipping to the US now far too expensive

Shipments of typical Dutch products for compatriots abroad for Sinterklaas and the Christmas period will normally begin next week, says Van Fessem.

At Real Dutch Food, of which he is one of the owners, Dutch expats order all kinds of products that are difficult to obtain abroad.

In addition to the usual licorice, chocolate sprinkles and syrup waffles, customers also order speculaas chunks, spiced nuts, toffee and Sinterklaas foam.

But this year is different, as US President Donald Trump has decided that import duties on parcels from abroad will now also apply if the value is less than 800 dollars (688 euros).

This is very unfortunate for Van Fessem, as it will make ordering parcels expensive for US customers. Trump's measures will affect approximately 20 percent of Real Dutch Food's revenue.

He recently received an email from PostNL stating that temporarily no more packages can be sent to the US due to uncertainty about import duties.

According to European postal companies, the Americans haven't yet established a proper system to collect the new levies. You can still send parcels to the US with UPS, says Van Fessem, but that will also cost you money.

So, it's time to shift course. The money that was intended for advertising in the US is now being used in other countries to attract customers there, to make up for the loss of orders from the US.

Van Fessem sees the greatest opportunities in the European Union, "because that's where most Dutch people are." He sees particular opportunities in Spain, Italy, and the UK, as well as in parts of Germany that are further from the border, where it's otherwise cost-effective for customers to drive back and forth themselves.

Van Fessem doesn't foresee any improvement in the situation in the short term. "We have to focus on other countries indefinitely and hope to compensate for the losses."

"And we have to hope that Trump reverses the measure somehow, as he often does," said Van Fessem. "And that way, US customs officials will also have less work to do."

In this video you can see Trump's tariffs going in all directions: