Inbound Package Stuck in US Customs?
 

Hello,

My package of swords is lost, or stuck, somewhere in the US and never delivered. The swords are beautiful (and precious) and I am in denial about the possibility of losing them forever.

I hope someone in the forum can help me, but I dearly hope that you have not had a similar experience.

I purchased several swords from a forum member dealer who is well trusted for quality and reliability. The package was accepted by the UK Royal Mail and made it to the US. The last time the tag was scanned was on November 4, 2018. Tracking information says: "Processed Through Facility: ISC New York NY (USPS)".

I've talked to USPS customer service and they claim the package is being held by the US Customs and Border Patrol. That is what the last tag information means. They claim to havre no ability to find out the status. (I don't believe this.)

The shipper in the UK initiated an international trace in December, but thus far there is no new information.

US Customs and Border Patrol seems impossible to contact. Their web info says if they are holding a package then they will notify the recipient by mail. I have heard nothing from them.

Searching on the web reveals a great many complaints about the ISC NY facility for lost or delayed packages.

Any ideas on what I can do to find out more information about the package and how to get it delivered?

Thanks for your comments in advance.

Dave A.

All I can say is that I am sorry this is happening to you right now. I hope you get your stuff back without damage or incident.

Idiots! :mad:

I find that visiting my local post office and asking whomever is in charge to help
is very effective; much more so than calling the 800 number. If you don't know the people at your P.O., make a point of it. It really makes a difference. I hope you receive your package soon.

By any chance were the handles made of ivory or any other material from an endangered species or possibly confused for one?

Well that was my first thought. If not ivory, then some kind of horn or bone that might have them wondering. :shrug:

I had a similar problem when I sold a Maria+Popovi Martinez ceramic bowl to an art gallery in Texas. I just described the item as a Maria+Popovi Martinez earthenware bowl. The piece was then held at US customs. Apparently my description was not good enough. To me it was an earthenware bowl which was rather naive of me. US customs wanted to know more about this item before it could be released {sounded crazy to me} like what it was made of :rolleyes: {earthenware clay} So I emailed the gallery who very helpfully contacted US customs and explained that the item was Native American art pottery and not made of any dangerous substances and that did the trick, the item was released undamaged and I got my money from the gallery. I suspect you might be having a similar problem. The materials that make up the item might need better description and perhaps more focus on the art nature of the item as well as antique and collectible. A horrible situation to be in and completely unnecessary. Customs can be rather a mystery and frightening when trading the future of casual personal trade does not look good. I can only suggest no longer purchasing from outside your own country. I hope you can get it sorted.

Is you shipper a private person or a company ?

In the past I noticed that companies sometimes get a better follow up on their packages.

Did he mark the package "return to sender if undeliverable" ?

I had a package to Singapore that was routed via the US last december.
It was also held by US customs and it took over 3 weeks to get more details.
The package was finaly delivered to Singapore, but is was marked with "return to sender" ? because it contained a sword…

Anyway, keep asking the shipper to contact the UK Royal mail. Tracing should indeed be done from his side.

Any possibility that there is a backlog hold up due to your recent Govt shutdown?

Held up at customs is at least a plausible answer. The govt. shutdown may be the cause. That they acknowledge your package is positive.
Since the beginning of Nov is a problem, I agree that you should go to the post office, ask to make a claim against it which may get them moving.
Hopefully it's insured.

Hello Dave,

Sorry to hear that - it really sucks when tracking does not work!

How securely were the labels/addresses attached? You may want to also contact the central USPS facility for "undeliverable" parcels just in case.

IIRC, you have to meet a deadline or the parcel will be forfeited...

Regards,
Kai

Hello Dave,

Have a look here:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=23525

(From the tracking info, this does not seem to be your problem. However, I'd also consider this possibility and file another claim here just to be on the safe side of things...)

Regards,
Kai

Thank you
 

Thank you everyone for your advice and commiseration. I have a few useful tips now on how to proceed. As far as I know, there are no materials in the items that might be restricted. Old hardwood from S.E. Asia is possible concern. The types are hard to identify especially when significantly aged. I’ve never had a problem before of this kind. With some luck, I will post a happy ending story.

Dave A.

Hope you will receive your items! :)

My apologies if I'm being pedantic. But I ordered several antiques from England and they were shipped FedEx. FedEx never notified me, but the objects were just stuck in customs. I called FedEx after a few days, and they said that the items couldn't be released because there wasn't a CF5106 on file for me with DHS. I filled out a CF5106, sent it to FedEx's international shipping department, and my package was released the next day (along with tariff charges b/c the shipper included FMV of contents, but didn't include a statement that the contents were over 100 years old). Maybe you need a CF5106 on file?