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Seized By US Customs- Next Steps?
 

"Your item is being processed by United States Customs. No further information is available for this item. "

And it went into customs late september. I doubt I'll get my "VeRO" stuff and it doesn't matter since it wasn't really too expensive. Just some new stuff I felt like trying out but I guess I never got it.

But what should I do now- is there anything to worry about? When to expect the letter and what should I do then? Any input is appreciated!

you will get a letter from customs ,telling you for the most part if you think the items are legit you can fight it .. i would suggest letting it go and filing a dispute with you cc or paypal and they will rule in your favor 99% of the time as you never got the item.

If you want to remain on good terms with the person who sent those items you might just want to cut the loss there and not report it as not being received. Don't want to burn any bridges over something you knew was a possibility of happening in the first place.

What city was your package seized in?
You should be able to tell from the tracking information.

This exact same issue happened to me, I called the USPS customer service number and they gave me the number for the customs office that seized my order and I spoke with them directly, because the items coming in were unlicensed NFL team logo items, They defiantly said the items would be destroyed... of course, I played dumb, "I had no idea they weren't official, blah blah, blah..." I never heard from them again on it. On the other end, because it was a $600. order I didn't want to take a hit on, I called the supplier in Hong kong, and told them the situation, they were great about it, and reshipped the order using a different carrier. Maybe follow up on both ends, if nothing happens, well, at least you tried, and chalk it up... Good Luck!

I've always wondered, what's the magic number for packages you can have delivered to a certain address from China? Like is there a system that keeps track of what you receive, or are the seizures just random?

Also, upsidedown, Im curious as to what customs hub your items go thru? I've heard some are more strict than others. Also, how did you supplier fill out the packaging slip? Was it a gift? Size of package? Weight?

Hi guys
I bought 10 wallets and 5 dvds from China, shipped in different boxes at the same time from different sellers and they were both handed over customs, one on Oct 22nd and the other next day, I'm so worried, I was told the dvds were the official released in mainland China and I truly believed it, I've contacted both sellers, once refunded me the money (dvd) and the other (wallets) refuses, what should I do? and what's gonna happen to me? This is my first time? please help! what is Customs gonna do against me? :((

They items went through JFK, I wonder if they will get release, Apskin I need to read your book!:pry:

I mentioned this months back , but Customs is suppose to have a new system in place sometime next year to flag your address if a package has been taken and found to have illegal items inside...but the way things usually go with the government will probaly be years from now.

Thanks! I will post an update when I have some news, so far I checked EMS website and no updates, still in Customs.

A title that was the official release for mainland China could very well be legitimate, but might not be legal for export to other countries. That is why DVDs have region codes.

If you are going to buy media, be sure to KNOW what you are ordering. Which version is it, and what are the concerns for importing to your own location.

The same thing applies to software. Some versions may be legal in one country but not legal for every other country.

It doesn't mean that it's held in Customs. It could be USPS that didn't update the tracking information. I have about 10 packages out of 100 that are delivered but allegedly never made it out of Customs. It could be in your local USPS office and they didn't leave you a notice. If it's unclaimed, they will return it.

Sorry about the delayed reply guys- just been busy fixing this computer lately. But all my packages go through JFK and imjustme, I've never had a package that didn't update the tracking info but I'll call them and ask them.

Also the package was only $200 so its not really too big of a hit and this is the first time that this particular vendor's package has gotten held. He's usually pretty good about filling out the package contents form but is there anything specific he should be including on it?

Update
 

Hi guys
One of the 2 boxes (10 walllets) held over customs was released:pry:, just checked now (1:40 am) and the usps website says:
Your item cleared United States Customs at 12:17 AM on November 3, 2009. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
Inbound Out of Customs, November 03, 2009, 12:17 am
Inbound Into Customs
Inbound International Arrival, October 23, 2009, 8:40 am, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)

Does that mean it will be delivered to my address without problem? I mean not warning notice or fine or tax bill?

Looking at your cut and paste of the tracking and going on past experience, you should expect some sort of duty fees attached. Usually, if you play it right, 99% of the time, the packages will get released the same day if they get it in the morning. If they get it in the afternoon, it is released out of customs the following day.

As I see yours took 11 days to get out of customs, I am 95% sure you will see some fees attached.

i doutbt there will be any fine or tax bill

customs
 

mine always go to san francisco, I had one experience where it was held for two weeks and one for 9 days. The two weeks was opened by customs but not required to pay the tax. The other package came with a customs fee, but guess what, the post office lady asked me for 20$ in replace that she will throw away the receipt. I saved 83.62$ :dance:

wow bobby lucky you. Guys I was wondering is it true that it's better to clean the house before the package arrive to avoid any surprises? I cleaned mine just in case, although it wasn't too dirty lol. No more updates so far, but I think they'll probably deliver the box tomorrow, the mail from NY always takes about 2 days to arrive

^^^'clean the house?' Stop watching too much TV. If you are thinking that you might have visitors you don't like, cleaning the house will not work. Where did you get that idea?

For the future, never get parcels delivered to your home;)

Thanks for the advise, I'm getting a p.o.box tmw, although that package held by customs and now released is being delivered to my door :(

Give us an update on the fees? From experience like I said above, I seen it happened far too often. I follow the pattern of when it gets released and the best scenerio is always ot get released within the same or next day. you have to plan it right with the quantity amound and how much space is fit into a box or into those bubble packages. Also you don't want too many hitting your address. Trust me I seen some **** where the tracking were stalled and 1 week later my friend had a customs officer with the inspector hand deliver the packages. Let me say he learned and now scared to order anything overseas again.

where was your friend from?

I just checked usps website and found that the second box with dvds was released today, and the first box with wallets will be here tomorrow!!
Inbound Out of Customs, November 04, 2009, 2:51 am
Inbound Into Customs
Inbound International Arrival, October 22, 2009, 1:16 pm, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Foreign International Dispatch, October 20, 2009, 9:57 pm, SHANGHAI EMS
Now I'm more nervous, I wonder if the dvds will work at all, do that means Customs think they are the official released in mainland China like the seller told me? the bad thing is that both boxes are coming into my house. I went to the post office to open a po box but still need to open another po box somewhere else to get the mail redirect it, and found something online that says give you an address in texas, can anyone suggest a company to receive packages and redirect mail? Those two boxes were my first time and I don't wanna keep making mistakes or taking risk of anything, I would appreciate any comments thanks.

It does not matter, does it? Respect everyone's privacy. :peace:

If Customs have released the dvds & you have no notice of duties/tax, then the goods have been allowed to 'land' (ie come into country & your possession). Customs may have no further interest in these dvds. That Customs may have interest in the seller or yourself is not known.

tbf, I don't think you need to go as far as an inter-state redirect company. Get delivery of the items first & make sure every thing is fine.
Then look at getting the boxes in two suburbs close to you. Now say you are Joe Smith, you can put AllMightyDollar Toys as the name on the po box. You give ID to say you are you & AMD Toys is a trading name :ranger:
any problems, pm me ;)

Oh thank you so much, I've been selling items on ebay for the last 10 years in all the countries where I have lived but mainly my own things , I'm a big of bargain hunter as well, now here in the states thinking about what to do with my life I discovered online "Asialand" were all dreams come true lol and started ordering items innocently and zaz!! this customs thing happened!, I found this website and it has been a blessing, I still have lots of things to sell and listing a few every week combined with other things i sell like make up, but it's not like I have 100 items listed, thank you so much Green Bean and everybody. I'll let you guys know what's gonna happen tomorrow with the fist box arriving

Greenbean, just notice your Australian flag! that's the place where I started my ebay account! although i brought more things from there like a towel, a kangaroo and my hubby ;p

^^^Quite a lot of us have had the same happen with Customs & it scares you heaps. Look forward to an update tomorrow :ranger:

we x-posted! Prefer kangaroos myself ;)

Don't dream to much coffee or won't be able to sleep tonite ;), oh it's day time for you there

Nothing personal or not trying to hide nothing, but that would be irrelavant in this case. All I was trying to conclude was stay humble when things are passing customs. When you relax and think everything is good to go, the next shipment is when you will get a letter or in my friends case, someone personally delivering the goods that you would not expect. Trust me, we joke with him all the time that he must have been VIP when you get them to hand deliver your goods.

well, i was just wondering if your friend was from either of the coast (west coast or east coast) where it has to pass through customs. To have an actual custom agent come to his location would mean a great deal of travel unless your friend was on either of the coasts....was just wondering about that.

nobody, stop now. Stop.Stop.Stop. You ask more questions than a policeman.:peace:

FYI, there are INTERNATIONAL airports right thro'out the USA. Each airport has a Customs agency attached to it. Ergo, said Customs officer might only have driven 5 miles. Yes to a degree cargo comes into certain hubs but not always :rolleyes:

Got the 2 boxes today, they were sealed with clear tape and chinese characters all over it, inside the same thing, I didn't find any note or seal saying opened by customs. Dvds are legitimate, the wallets all well packed. I opened my po box now and looking to open another one next week to redirect my mail.

Interesting- the package that I was talking about above now says it was cleared by customs just yesterday...almost a month and a half later. That is certainly a shock. I don't know what to expect. Has this ever happened to anyone before?

:thumb: Great to hear,domdiv. The PO box idea will work in your favor for successful ebaying :cheer:

Thanks greanbeans. Upsidedown my packages were held for 2 weeks

Had 7 weeks wait about 15 months ago. Tracking info literally stopped in Hawaii.
Then out of the blue, got a phone call from DHL to advise of release. Gave away the idea of that item ;)

New Poster here. Our items fly through all the ports, EXCEPT for New York. I think there is some deep dark pit where they throw all packages until they want to get around to getting to them! LOL

Also, in my experience EMS shipping and then transfer to USPS tracking is notoriously spotty. It is definitely not on par with FedEx and UPS for detail. Sometimes I experience a two day delay with info being fed into the USPS tracking system. That is, I find out two days later that the item was ACTUALLY delivered two days ago!

I sold a Peavey Guitar Amplifier 4 years and shipped it to Japan and it took 3 months for the buyer to get it as it was shipped via UPS. They held it in customs forever they called me and asked me questions about it just about everyday and wanted me to fax pictures of it and receipts from when I bought the item. (which i didnt have so i ⊗⊗⊗⊗d some).

letter from NHL after customs seized
 

I had a few jerseys seized by customs when I ordered these from china. A month later, I recieved a letter from the customs, which I ignored. A week later, which is today, I recieved a letter from NHL requesting information such as source from where it is coming from, surrender any merchandize I may have, provide information on sold jerseys and revenues earned and provide written assurance that I will refrain from such activities.

At the end, they mention 'We require your full cooperation with the above mentioned items in 2 weeks. We look forward to your timely response'.

Has anyone ever recieved this letter? Any suggestions you can offer me would be helpful.
Thank you!