That time the Washington Post interviewed me

Last week, I was interviewed about the postal suspensions to the USA and if it really has an impact on us non-US based dyers.

I’m Aiden Sielias, and yes, it absolutely does. With the sudden repeal of the de minis exemption in the U.S., many of us can’t reliably ship to American customers anymore. Dozens of postal services have suspended packages, commercial carriers are adding huge fees, and yarn that used to land duty-free is now hit with 15–50% tariffs + extra charges.

Some Dutch based companies are still managing to ship, but only because they’re in the very lucky position of already having bulk deals and discounts in place thanks to a large turnover of U.S. shipments.

For a small company like mine (I hardly get to 30 parcels to the US in a month), that kind of arrangement and lowering of cost is impossible.

For indie dyers, this isn’t just an inconvenience. It means orders stalled at the border, customers receiving surprise invoices after delivery, and in some cases skeins nearly quadrupling in price. U.S. makers lose access to the yarns they love, and small businesses abroad lose one of their biggest markets.

This is a fast-moving situation, and many of us are still figuring out how to adapt, but the impact is real, immediate, and heavy on both sides of the ocean.

Read the Washington Post article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/02/de-minimis-yarn-prices-backlog/