I live in Europe and have put everything into building my handmade brand shop. Until recently, 90% of my sales were to the US. But since the abrupt end of the $800 de minimis exception, and with almost every country in the world suspending shipping to the US, my sales have nearly stopped overnight, like someone flipped a switch.

This shop is my full-time job and how I provide for my family. I’m devastated at the thought that I may have to look for another job and return to the rat race that made me so ill in the past.

What I don’t understand is this: if so many small businesses are facing the same problem, does it mean that EU buyers simply don’t want to spend money on quality handmade products?