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If your shipment is delayed, here are some important things to know.
Customs clearance is when goods enter a country and must follow its import and export laws. This process is also called "customs clearance." During customs clearance, goods are watched by customs, and they cannot be moved freely. Why do customs clearance processes sometimes take a long time?
The product itself
(1) Prohibited entry products: Every country has its own list of things you can't bring into the country. These include drugs, guns, ammunition, weapons, and more. Almost every country restricts what you can bring in, including animals, plants, meat, and books. Chinese herbs are banned in the US, while Britain bans milk and meat products. Singapore bans e-cigarettes. If you try to bring these things into a country, they will be held by customs and sent back.
(2) The products are brand-name and infringing products. This means they are protected by intellectual property rights. When selling products, you must have brand authorization. After these products enter the country, the customs department will ask for a brand authorization letter. If you don't have this letter, customs clearance will be delayed. The customs will either deduct the goods or even order their return.
(3) The goods are powder, liquid, charged, and other sensitive goods. It is important to note that powder, liquid, electromagnetic, solid, and other sensitive goods are more likely to be inspected by customs. This means they take longer to clear customs than other goods. These products usually take more time to clear customs, so it is recommended that the seller ask the recipient if they can clear the goods before sending them.
Agent or owner's own reasons
(1) The complete information of the goods is not standardized and incomplete: The agent or shipper itself is incomplete in the information and documents, such as the product quantity is incorrect, the product name is randomly filled in (such as the product itself is a shoe, the declared product name is called clothing), the declared value is inconsistent with the actual value (many sellers have done this practice, in order to let the recipient pay less tax or tax exemption, the declared value of the commodity is lower, but if it is too outrageous, will attract the attention of customs, resulting in delays in customs clearance).If the commercial invoice is incomplete, the sender needs to provide a new, complete commercial invoice.
(2) Logistics transportation mode: To save on shipping costs, the seller may choose a less expensive shipping method that takes longer. However, this can lead to delays in customs clearance and the goods being lost.
Customs procedures
(1) Customs routine inspection: The customs office inspects your goods as part of the standard process. If your goods are selected for a spot-check, you cannot leave and must wait. This inspection can take 1-3 working days. If the customs office finds everything is in order, the goods will be released.
(2) Taxation: If customs believes that the value you declared is different from the actual value, you will need to clear customs. If the declared value is the same as the actual value, but customs believes it is different, you can clear customs with proof of the value of the goods. If the declared value of your goods is inconsistent with the actual situation and customs finds it low or high, you will need to pay the duty.
(3) Scam buyers: Some foreign buyers try to get the goods for free. They don't clear customs or pay taxes. Instead, they let the goods sit in storage while they deal with the seller's tax problems.
There are two other reasons:
(1) The environment: For example, when customs, port, airport, or logistics staff go on strike, or during natural disasters or wars.
(2) Policy: In some countries, customs clearance is slow, inefficient, or complicated. For example, Brazil. Or, customs clearance is required by the national policy.