US Shipping Tariff Leaves Belize Entrepreneurs Scrambling

The suspension of shipments to the United States has left many local entrepreneurs scrambling for solutions. Without access to the Belize Postal Service, they say the cost and complexity of reaching U.S. customers has become overwhelming. For some, this means a major slowdown in sales and uncertainty about the future of their business. We spoke to another business owner Khadija Assales who shared how the suspension is directly affecting their operations.

 

Khadija Assales, Business Owner

“Well fortunately for Kaj expressions international orders don’t really make up a large percentage of our sales but I feel like any decline in sales right now is a negative decline on business because business has been particularly slow this year and so the fact that they suspended we are no longer able to cater to our international customers and that means another drop in revenue that’s a very negative effect. The fact that they suspended and the shipping is negatively us because its going to mean another drop in revenue that we have already been suffering with another loss of revenue this year”

 

Tanya Arceo

“They had already raised the price earlier this year right”

 

Khadija Assales

“Yes, in literally and instant notice like we had no idea that prices would have been raised so we sent a package with the run man to the post office and we send him with the usual five dollars which is normally the cost and he came back saying that the cost was eighteen dollars.”