Forum

Package Held in Customs, Getting Nervous
 

Hey Everyone,

I am fairly new to the ebay game. I have ordered several packages from China over the past 4-5 months. All of them have come through fine. Until recently. I have a package that has been hung up in San Francisco customs for 5 days now. I have no doubt that if they open the package, they will flag it as not legit. It was not much stuff (I paid about $200 for it). So lets just assume that the package is going to get flagged. What is going to happen? I have been reading the forum and have seen varying reports from other users.

What I seem to be hearing the most is I will receive 2 letters from customs, eventually resulting in them destroying my package and that is the end of it. I would be fine with that.

What worries me is the "gloom and doom" scenarios I hear from some users about customs agents showing up at your door, legal action for copyright infringement, etc. You know, serious stuff.

I am not a "big player" by any means, so when I think about it I decide that there is no way that they are going to do anything serious. They have bigger problems on their hands. But at the same time, I can't help but worry about the worst case scenarios.

Anyway, what has happened in your experience? Has anyone actually had customs agents show up? Legal action? I'm just getting really nervous about it and would like to know if I am getting too worked up about it. Any personal experience/advice that can be offered would be greatly appreciated!

yes it nerve wracking.....you can only wait.....if a seizure letter comes, ignore it and dont say or admit anything...5 days is not long at all for it to be stuck, kind of depends whats in it, if you say you are not big player dont worry......if you get a seizure update us and we can advise re names and address, quantities etc.....

No need to worry , everybody loses one now and than.. just never send more money than you can afford to lose .

This is excellent advice, I go by this rule all the time.

Sanfranciso is the worst for seizing, I had my seller in the past change the zipcode so it goes through NY but forgot to remind her last time and it got seized in SF, just recieved a notice that I have a certified letter at the P.O. from customs, not even sure if I should even sign for it even though I could use it to get a refund from dhgate.

You can use that letter to get a refund from DhGate? Does that work? Has anyone done that? Or is it worth to not even touch the letter?

That's what dhgate says on their site, I haven't tried it yet the only problem is I had 2 diferrent products in the same box, they took 1 out and sent the other which I already signed for so tracking shows I recieved it.

Shall have no worries my friend. The customs might just destroyed your items (counterfeit) but you'll never ever be criminalized, as you just a plain buyer buying things on ebay. (Ebay as a middleman must been charged responsible first before you :D)

But, still... dont worry as your item wont get destroyed if it has no tags, brands, or whatsoever on it. (based on my experience)

hummm, they are not buying from ebay. :shocked:

doesnt matter..customs will not do anything to you if its a small package,if yer getting a container down at the port,different story,but they will not waste time on small potatoes,OP you have nothing to worry about

Not what I meant. Re read the poster whom I was answering. This poster I quoted thought this package was coming from an ebay seller and did not know it was coming from a wholesale source.

Just an update for everyone, my package is still being held by customs according to USPS tracking. I am thinking it is safe to say I can kiss it goodbye. So I am guessing that will be the same story for trying to get stuff from China at the same address. I want to open a PO Box, but have one concern. Normally the packages are sent via EMS and someone has to sign for them. If I have a PO Box, will they just put the key to the package box in my PO Box and not require a signature? It is going to be a hassle for me if I have to go to the Post Office while it is open to get my packages, but I guess I will do it if I have to. If anyone could let me know how this works in their experience that would be great!

Get a P.O. box at an UPS store. They will sign packages for you.

I had a package get taken from Chicago customs, receive the seizure letter. Filed a paypal dispute (purchased from DHGate) dhgate had me scan and upload the seizure letter and issued a refund the next day.

Also, since having one seized, I have received others at the same address. Just because one gets taken doesn't mean you won't receive any future pacakges.

I had the same happen to me as Jbuntz. SF opened my box and took out some items and sent me the rest with a seizure letter inside the box..........

So since my package has been held for 11 days is it safe to assume that it is gone for good? Also, I work with a couple of Chinese suppliers and it seems to vary which customs location my packages go through. I am in the Midwest so logically you would think everything would come through Chicago. However, the only time it comes through Chicago is when it is out of the Shanghai area. The other supplier is in the southern inland part of China and those packages always go through San Francisco. Any idea why this is?

I had some stuff held for 2 weeks, it was inspected but I still recieved it.
About the location just look at the zip code they used for your address on the ems ticket, that's how they route the package, you can have your seller change the zip code so its closer to the east coast than the west.

Yeah but be careful, one of my packages are out for delivery in New York and I live 1200 miles away. :doh:

I just checked and all of my EMS tickets are to the same zip code, yet some packages are still going through San Fran, some through Chicago. Weird. Any other thoughts?

That's probably because you're in an area that could use either one, if you tell your seller to change it to a NY zip then it will go through JFK which is what I do and it goes through JFK everytime unless I forget to tell her.

Thanks for all of the help jbuntz. A couple of questions though. First, does JFK have a track record of being the "safest"? What is your personal experience in sending packages through there? Also, if I put an NY zip code, but the correct street address, city, and state, will USPS forward it on to me correctly? Do they eventually catch on to what you are doing and tell you to stop/penalize you somehow?

No they just automatically foward it to the correct address, thinking it was a typo as long as it has the correct address city and state, but it's good to let the seller know so the seller doesn't change it back thinking you made a mistake.

So is JFK the safest place for your packages to go through?

There is no Booklet for Customs or protocol .. i had stuff taken continued to use the same addresses with no problem .. had stuff show up 2 months later as loose parcels ..had stuff show up 1 month later for whatever reason ... but usually if it is in customs more than a week -probaly 90% you will not get it ....ive had a box the size of a Toyota make it somehow and a box the size of a cellphone get taken ...Customs doesnt want you to understand and they probaly really dont even understand themselfs .

I never had any problems with jfk, doesn't mean I won't though as soon I do I'll just switch zips or use a different mailbox.

So if you use an NY zip, it will for sure be routed through JFK?

no matter what anyone says,nothing is for sure,you must understand that! whoever said that any time a package is in customs for more than a week that 90% chance its going to be held up,whered you pull that stat from? ive had numerous packages in for more than a week and ive got them all,

no matter what anyone says here,it doesnt matter,no one knows how customs works,and the only time you know for a fact that yer package is held up is if you get a letter in the mail from them,otherwise its not held up,ive had a couple packages in customs for more than a month and i received both of them,

no one knows how customs works!

^^
 

I tell my seller to send it through jfk and that's where it goes every time. Customs has nothing to do with deciding where it goes, it has to do with the zip code.

I had my very first package go thru SF about a year ago and it was there for 3 weeks. I thought it had gotten seized. But they eventually shipped it on to me and they had opened it and sealed it back up with Dept of Homeland Security tape. Anyways everything inside of it was commonly "counterfieted" merchandise. They sent a bill along with the box for custom fees but they lady at the post office didn't see it and just had me sign for the box. But I typically get 2-3 packages a week thru EMS and they all go thru SF and never have any problems. Lately I have been getting all my large packages thru DHL. No problems at all. They are coming out of Beijing and I get them in 3 days from when my supplier ships them.

Is it clothing , media or electronics? and what do you mean by large? 4/4? 5/10?

I have been getting shipments of clothing and media. I will get shipments of 200+ box sets at at time in one large box that weighs like 150lbs. The DHL guy needs my help getting it out of the truck. When it comes to the US the package goes thru Cincinnati before they ship it to Boise which is where I am. So far every package has been smooth with no problems.

That's insane, I would of never thought to order that much unless it was split up over a dozen mailboxes. I just had small box less then 10 lbs with only 50 pcs of software taken out, I guess I should try DHL, I didn't know that made a difference to customs though.

I got that stat from 2 years of my own experience - if you read the comment you would see like i said nothing is for sure other than Customs is changing their sytem and it will be more difficult by sometime in 2011 to get items through with their new ''Flag and Tag'' System ...You will still get items through nothing is perfect they are just going to try and make it more difficult .the more packages you lose and more money you have to spend at mail drops the more frustrated people will get , as i have said my neighbor is a customs agent and has been telling me this for a couple years now -and no he doesnt know i have bought or still occasionaly buy from overseas.

It does cost a little more to get packages shipped thru DHL but it so worth it. I was getting some thru UPS and they came thru Alaske but I no longer deal with that seller and my current supplier wont use UPS but ships DHL so I am happy. PM me if you want to know exactly I can get and who my supplier is.

Another possible address for me to receive packages?
 

We just got the word at my office that we will be moving in a month.
I will obviously take advantage of the new address to set up a new ebay & Paypal accounts, but I have a question as far as the USPS change of address system is concerned.

If I fill out a change of address form at the post office can I (and if so how long) have mail (particularily packages going through customs) sent to the old address and still show up at the new address?

I've often thought that this would be a great way to set up stealth accounts using other addresses, but still be able to receive items to your real address.

Has anyone tried this? Will it work?

This wouldn't hide you when receiving items. The National Change of Address Database (NCOA) is available to just about anyone (although you may have to go thru a re-seller). If you want to be in stealth mode you would have to use a completely different name and address. It still wouldn't be 100%, but that is much safer, IMHO.

I realize it wouldn't make me invisible...but how can you do that 100% when at some point you need a physical address to receive goods at?
Just wondering if having some packages

deleivered to:
John Smith,
123 Main Street

and some delievered to:
Jon Smith,
321 Elm Street

and some delivered to:
Jonathon Smythe
567 University Ave

Might raise few red flags than tons of stuff going through customs to the same address.

I would assume that once it clears customs it goes to the PO and they are the ones to divert it to the correct address?

Yes. Customs just inspects packages (or more often, just clears them). It is the post office that would forward the mail.

Using multiple addresses is good. Using your real name, even a variation, is not necessarily so good. If any packages are seized, I would stop using that address.

I'm just wondering if say you expect to receive 10 packages total a month if you would be any safer having one sent every 10 days to address A, and the same with address B & C as opposed to getting 2-3 a week always to the same address...
I was wondering if they in some way monitor the number of deliveries to a single address