President Trump is temporarily delaying his decision to end a tariff exception for low-cost shipments from China to individuals in the U.S.

An order by the administration says the exception, known as de minimis, will remain in effect until “adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue.”

The exception allows parcels worth less than $800 — and sent directly to people in the U.S. — to avoid duties or closer inspection.

Mr. Trump closed the loophole as part of his decision to slap China with an additional 10% tariff, citing Beijing’s inadequate effort to stop the flow of precursor chemicals that Mexican cartels and others use to make fentanyl. Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid driving overdoses in the U.S.

Critics of de minimis said the exception allowed fentanyl and other drugs to slip into America because parcels weren’t subject to duties or close inspection.

Mr. Trump’s decision to close the loophole caused upheaval. The U.S. Postal Service briefly stopped taking parcels from China on Wednesday before reversing itself.

The White House pause should allow parties involved in handling the packages to put adequate systems in place to handle duties, inspections and other considerations.

FedEx told The Washington Times earlier this week that it’s “working around the clock to continue enabling the movement of shipments across borders of the more than 220 countries and territories we serve.”

“We can confirm that shipments continue to move through our network between the U.S. and China as we adapt to compliance changes,” the shipping giant said.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.