Hi I have a quick question, is it normal for post to be stuck in customs for 3+ months?
I ordered a bunch of things over the lockdown which seemingly have not reached my doors in several months. Mostly things below the value of £15 such as CDs, some candy, random misc Japanese things. Nothing that would attract any attention and perfectly legal from notable Japanese companies.
They were posted by Airmail over the course of Late March/April, May, June onwards. Because of this delay on my packages I've refrained from ordering anything else over the internet from Japan as it seems as if nothing is coming out of customs.
I understand that Japan Post who operate in Japan have delays just the same as Royal Mail and with limited flights for post obviously things would be significantly slower. However going from recieving mail from Japan in less than a week to waiting 3+ months is a bit excessive.
I have a feeling they're probably sat in the UK customs somewhere, but should I just continue to wait or give up? I've bought from these companies countless times and have never had a lost piece of mail from them prior to the pandemic. So I find it hard to believe a dozen or so packages ordered over a period of a few months can just vanish into oblivion. They're obviously somewhere, but where?(Well obviously customs).
How long do customs typically hold mail? There should be nothing that warrants a charge. I've had post via singapore sent by DHL who seem to use Royal Mail to deliver that has only taken a few weeks to get to my door. So this is a bit odd to me.
Thanks
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Post from Japan stuck in customs for 3 months+
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mm2e
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yubin282
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Post from Japan stuck in customs for 3 months+
I often buy CD's and DVD's from Japan myself.
Most of the time I use EMS which takes around 1 week, but occasionally use regular mail which in my experience has sometimes taken over 2 months.
EMS is always delivered by Parcelforce when I have used it.
Most things I purchase get through customs without any problems, EMS seams to avoid customs charges.
Most of the time I use EMS which takes around 1 week, but occasionally use regular mail which in my experience has sometimes taken over 2 months.
EMS is always delivered by Parcelforce when I have used it.
Most things I purchase get through customs without any problems, EMS seams to avoid customs charges.
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Snaggletooth
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Post from Japan stuck in customs for 3 months+
Although there is no set time for clearing customs, due to varying levels of checks on different batches of mail, 3 months is excessive for delivery from Japan. You need to look at claiming from the seller in case they have a maximum time for making a claim.
Ordering from reputable companies is irrelevant to customs issues, it is what the contents are that matter. For instance, many countries ban brushes made in Japan, an issue which will affect all sellers.
Although customs is a likely source of delays, it is by no means the only one. And it would affect all countries equally, so although you would see some variation over multiple parcels you wouldn’t see a total block. All of that points to some other issue, such as a severe shortage of cargo capacity on flights. Note that this isn’t the same as a shortage of flights: in some cases the postal services can’t get their mail on to flights because capacity is reduced, priority is given to medical supplies and they are outbid for the rest.
The carrier should be irrelevant to whether customs charges are levied.
Ordering from reputable companies is irrelevant to customs issues, it is what the contents are that matter. For instance, many countries ban brushes made in Japan, an issue which will affect all sellers.
Although customs is a likely source of delays, it is by no means the only one. And it would affect all countries equally, so although you would see some variation over multiple parcels you wouldn’t see a total block. All of that points to some other issue, such as a severe shortage of cargo capacity on flights. Note that this isn’t the same as a shortage of flights: in some cases the postal services can’t get their mail on to flights because capacity is reduced, priority is given to medical supplies and they are outbid for the rest.
The carrier should be irrelevant to whether customs charges are levied.