What should I do when my shipment is held at Customs?
Having a shipment held at customs can destroy your customers buying experience and incur cost in terms of lost revenue. There are many reasons why a shipment might be stuck at customs, these reasons can differ in severity from high (your goods are prohibited) to low (having the incorrect paperwork). Whatever the reason your goods are held, below tips will help you find out what is going on with your shipment and help you get it on time.
Ensure there is no missing or incorrect paperwork
Missing paperwork is one of the most common reasons for delays in shipping. Depending on the size and value of your shipment, the documentation required may vary. Even simple mistakes like the seller forgetting to attach an invoice or CN22 customs form can cause significant delays to your shipment. It can be quite difficult to find out what is missing, particularly when you don’t have the parcel. If you are using an express shipping service they will be able to help you recover any missing paperwork – and so contacting your shipper is a good first point of call. If you do indeed have a missing document, they will be able to advise you best, in may just be a case of emailing them a document. Incorrect paperwork can cause considerable customs headaches, make sure your documents are in order and aren’t in the wrong language or alphabet.
Find out if there are outstanding taxes
Many countries impose taxes on shipments over a certain value, if these taxes are payable on your shipment it will be held until the outstanding balance is paid. If you use a standard express shipper or the postal service they will pay the tax for you (DDU), clearing your goods through customs and charging you an administration fee. For larger shipments (over $2500 in the USA), you will require a customs broker, who will arrange for the taxes to be paid and for the shipment to be released from customs or you can do this yourself. Make sure you understand the customs clearing process, tax arrangements and that it is paid, otherwise you risk having the package returned to your warehouse or even destroyed.
Contact the seller
Your first action should be to contact whoever has shipped your goods. For numerous reasons, the shipper will often only talk to the seller about the shipment. Contact the seller, find out what is happening with the shipment and if they missed out any of the important documentation required to smoothly move your shipment over the border. Your seller will be able to contact the shipper and get more information concerning your shipment and the problems faced. You should also make sure that you are given a tracking code from your seller, which will enable you to accurately track your package. The best way to do this is generally through the courier’s website, where you will be able to find out what is happening. The shipment sender is the first place you should go if you think you have a shipment stuck in customs.
Contact the carrier
Ensure that your shipment is actually stuck in customs. Often express shippers like DHL or FedEX will be able to have customs clear your shipment. Generally, the best way to contact carriers is by phone. Contacting the shipper will help you to identify if there is anything you can do to speed up your shipments time in customs. Make sure you have your tracking number on hand, as it will help you shipper locate your package.
Note: For Trade Assurance orders on Alibaba.com, when you are notified your shipment is held at Customs, apart from above tips, you could apply for refund on your order detail page, and Alibaba dispute team will step in to handle the case for you after case escalation.