Forum

Sanfrancisco seems to be a pain, I just had 2 dhl shipments go through LA no problem.

I just don't know why there is a note on the shipment that says call customer service if customer service isn't going to really do anything besides tell me that the item is in customs...

Thats weird that your packages go through Chicago or NY. I get my stuff through DHL and I live in Idaho and all of my packages go through Cincinnati which is in Ohio

I live in Oklahoma, and all my DHL packages go through Cincinnati as well.

As for San Francisco, I'll do everything I can to never have a package go through there.

Recently, I've had sellers refuse to send DHL to me because apparently 7 is a high seized area code.

Wow that customs in the U.S. are harsh . I have been importing goods to the UK with no problems - not even a hold . It was when i sent a parcel from the UK to Germany where customs lost it . I just put it down to a loss but was hit in the wallet for it

just send the invoice statement to them from sender side and receiver side and then they will release the goods for you,also do not mark too high value on the bill.

Also copy products do not be shipped to middle of usa (Chicago) by EMS,the possiblity of being seized will be increased by us custom.Be aware and use other way to shipping the goods.
Of course ,if you can do the legal products business,it is the best choice.

My package is stuck for the past 2.5 wks in the chicago customs and i got a notice of removal from the customs :(
they were brand counterfeits items are they going to return it to the sender?
I've had about 5 such shipments that came in easily, but this one did not have a declared value, and had about 500 pcs so i am guessing that's the reason it got stuck
Should i contact them or there is not a chance that my parcel will be released??
is there a contact number where i can reach them?

Didn't they send you a notice or give you a phone call? What shipping company was it? If it was DHL they have most likely destroyed the package but, they usually ask you beforehand to provide a letter of authority from the brand manufacturer before they do anything to the shipment.

If it was me I'd contact my supplier, let them know what happened and get a refund or re-shipment.

I had an issue with a shipment being held and got that nice letter from customes. I contacted the seller and he re-shipped it to a different address, got it no problems. About a month later i order the same thing from a different seller and got it with no problems going to my original shipping address.

i wonder if dhl really destroys the packages.....do you think some works just takes them home?

US Customs are the ones to destroy, not the import agent.

Some gear goes where it should not go.
Some gets sold by public auction with the IRS
There was some talk last year of US Customs thinking of giving phake Ipods & Cell phones to the poor:eek:

be careful this month,now the Los Angeles Gateway is very stickly for ⊗⊗⊗⊗ goods pass from there

@teedon, Indeed. Extra rosters for agents to work OT have been offered.:faint:

I have a package that has been in Chicago Customs for 4 days now. Usually, my packages clear within 48 hours of going in. I'm thinking that I can kiss that one goodbye. Might be jumping the gun a little, but this is unusual based on my experience. Anyone else have packages stuck in Chicago Customs? If so, maybe they just have a back log right now, but I am not optimistic.

seems like there's a lot of problems lately with packages being held....suggest everyone kind of lay stop buying and take a vacation or something.

So do you think Customs is just backed up with packages? Normally I would say if they inspected my package they would seize it. However, about a month ago I got a package very similar to the one that has been in Chicago for 4 days now. When I received the package it had been inspected. It had the green Homeland Security tape on it. I thought for sure that if they ever opened one of these packages it would be seized. You think there is a chance they will inspect it and still release it?

Also, the last thing on the tracking info says "Inbound Into Customs". If they seize the package or do something else with it, does the tracking info update to inform you of this? Or does it just say "Inbound Into Customs" until you receive a seizure letter in the mail?

Chicago Customs - Woman Arrested
 

Here are some links to a news story of a Chicago woman from Nigeria who was arrested this week for importing and selling ⊗⊗⊗⊗ DVD's:

CBS Channel 2:

Illegal Immigrant Charged In Pirate DVD Operation - cbs2chicago.com

Chicago Tribune:

Chicago woman charged with role in international illegal DVD operation - chicagotribune.com

ABC News:

Police: 6,500 DVDs seized from home | abc7chicago.com

Or, you can google "Mokedi" her last name.

^ if you have 6500 sets sittin around your makin some serious cash. at that point with all that capital its time to go legit. if your gonna do it then have a plan to move into something else. dont take to big of a piss

She was here illegally. Not in a position to go legit. Also, it appears that she was not doing this for personal profit, but instead funding something back in her native country. Thus, legit items with narrow profit margin wouldn't be as desireable as the phaik which generates profits faster. Keep in mind, she was an illegal who was illegally moving funds, so why not sell illegal goods?

I think that her belongings should be confiscated and donated to charities, all monies she transferred out should be reversed and seized then turned over to the rights-holders or donated to the homeless.

Just sayin'.

Any chance the US customs will report to police?

Re #61: They very likely have reported already.

Re #62: A P.O. box is not private. Anyone anywhere at any time can ask the Postal Service who registered box number so-an-so, to which the Postal Service will provide the information freely. The asker does not have to provide any legal documentation or anything. That's how it works.

She wasn't selling because she was out of work. She was selling to raise U.S. Dollars to fund a group in Nigeria. I won't specify what kind of group. Read the news reports.

Her mistake was being the patsy for a bunch of t*rr*r*sts.

I dont think illegals can get a PO box! last time i tired they asked for all kinda BS like 2 fourms of id ssn didnt count then they wanted copy of my auto insurance.

sure they can.

UPS need only your passport

USPS need only Passport and a utility bill

and in some states they can get Drivers Licenses

I had one of my packages held in chicago customs last month as well for the first time in 5 years.....Got a letter from customs but it didnt say I had to pay anything. It just said that the items were counterfit goods and I should receive another letter within 30 days but i haven't got anything as of now..

I have a package held up at customs in chicago as we speak. Its been there for 9 days. The thing is, its only 5 pairs of shoes that ran me like two hundred and fifty dollars. That'll be some bull**** if they try and tax me. Can anyone get the contact number for customs in chicago?

Could this be the reason? After I read this news article i started to got worried. I got impression counterfeit item regulations could REALLY get strict now?

The whole article is interesting read: U.S. tightening intellectual property enforcement .:. newkerala.com Online News - United States 132327

U.S. tightening intellectual property enforcement

Washington, June 23 : As part of the Obama Administration's launch of the first-ever Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday emphasized the Department of Justice's ongoing commitment to protecting U.S. intellectual property as central to America's economic prosperity and public safety.

This isn't news. I read their overview and they are mainly focusing on online piracy and counterfeit drugs.

If I were running the movie studios, I would form a group of big players to buy Netflix and expand the online streaming capabilities. If they make their product widely available at a reasonable price, piracy would disappear.

A new release could be $4, and the older stuff could be $1. Maybe they could have a package for movie fanatics like 50 movies a month for $40 or something. I think that most people wouldn't mind paying a reasonable price to watch what they want when they want to watch it. And making new releases available at a premium, maybe $8 or so for home viewing would do more to shut down the Pirate Bay than a thousand court orders ever could.

Online delivery makes sense. And if they don't offer it then the Pirate Bay will. The days of DVD's are definitely numbered.

It will take awhile. Old business models die hard. But at the end of the day, the studios could end up maing more money than ever before and all but eliminate piracy at the same time. Not to mention, they would have more control.

The deisgner stuff will always be ⊗⊗⊗⊗d, though. Any time you have a product that costs $50 to make and sells for $1,200, it is too tempting a target. But these brands shouldn't be so worried that people are buying ⊗⊗⊗⊗ versions of their products. They should worry when people STOP.

So you think counterfeited designer items like designer handbags (particularly Louis Vuitton, Hermes) are NOT really the target of this tighter regulation? They are French companies btw, not American.

No they are not.

The Obama Administrations Copyright Czar Victoria Espinel, although under Pressure from the BSA, MPAA, and RIAA has Indicated a willingness to ONLY suggest ammending Laws dealing with Filesharing, she has stated that the bulk of her efforts are directed at Products that can actually Hurt or even Kill People.

I think that online filesharing is at the top of the MPAA's hit list. I'm sure they don't like counterfeits either, but I would imagine they lose FAR MORE money when people download the new releases and share them.

Box sets of TV shows are favored by counterfeiters moreso than individual movies, but that has to be a relatively small market for Hollywood. Not that they LIKE the practice, I'm sure, but they have to prioritize as well.

I wrote about this on numerous other threads on here over the last few months as i said my old neighbor is a customs agent ...and tipped me off that they are under pressure and facing threat of enormous lawsuits over the amount of items that are getting through, it snot about the Obama laws it is about just taking more packages on the vero stuff ...they will not be able to stop it all but the more peep keep losing the more they will give up .

So if a guy is getting 1 or 2 small packages a week are they going to get on some sort of watch list?
What is the best advice?
I only have access to 2 addresses right now.
My home address I received 2 packages last month and am expecting 2 more in the next week or so. Should the next order go to the alternate address?

And you are in the Philippines, not the USA btw. Make sure the flag stays like that.:boink:

Same concern here. :help:

There's a saying, never cr*p in your own nest. :ranger:

Regardless of what items are purchased, it is better to have a commercial address not associated with the home. In the USA, use can be made of DBA, post box. There are options around. Costs are part of doing ecommerce :pop2:

I'm assuming if you're talking a PO box you're talking a Mailbox store or similar vs one at an actual USPS station.
Also, does the box you rent have to be big enough to actually hold the package?
There is one of those shipping places not far from my house that would work out great and I could go there every day to check.
Because of the Patriot Act is it impossible to get a USPS PO Box using stealth info?

@GreenBean

Is it safe posting infos here, like describing your shipments i.e. what VERO items you're ordering, from what country, what courier you use, how many times you order a month, and what strategies you use.. Do customs and VERO do not lurk here to spy get information like that? :spy: then your strategy got busted :tears::shhh:

That is why I try to give details, but not get specific which is they way everyone should treat the discussions here.
Like almost everything else in life, you never know who might be listening.

No Doubt that Customs is facing some Pressures. I Sincerely Doubt that Any Corporation can Bring a Lawsuit against the Federal Goverment in reguards to this.

U.S. Customs and Border patrol's PRIMARY Mission is to Prevent Illeagal Aliens and CONTROLLED Substances from crossing into the U.S.

The Responsibility of controlling the Flow of Counterfeit Merchandise primarily Lies with the Affected Intellectual Properity rights Owner, U.S. Customs Does indeed Assist, and is Indeed on the Front Lines of this Battle, But is in no way a Culpable party, or one that can be Held responsible.

As far as I Know,U.S. Customs in not required, neither by Doctrine or By Law to protect Private Intellectual Property rights.. I can be Mistaken, but I honestly do not believe so.