Tracking your Baby USPS / Customs

[lanikai]

I thought I would post this in lew of the new members that have come on board ... WELCOME..... I am only familiar with CONUS so I hope this helps where applicable..

I hope this helps clear up some worries and concerns about how "safe" it is to recieve replications .. since these are deemed illicit..

First of all Customs turns the other cheek.. UNLESS.. you are recieving multiple orders of the same models... this is a Red Flag for Home Land Security.. this is a sign of .. RESALE of an illicit article.. and stops being our "Hobby".. and is then labeled "counterfieting" for resale... so think twice before you think you can become a dealer in the USA.... people have tried before .. and failed miserably.. IMO .. it's only a matter of time before you get "A LETTER" .. and "Resale" is a serious Federal offense... they could even throw RICOH at you .. so think hard before the lure of fast cash gets to you..!!.. I am "going here" because members get confident and this looks like a easy deal... until you are .."Red Flagged" in their computers and your address is.. then you get a knock on your door by Customs Agents..

Edit Add: Customs officials have explained to me that the utmost priority is "the paper work".. as long as the documentation is in Proper order then it's all good

I would not get more than 3 reps sent at any one time.. and if your collector is sharp .. he will also tell you this... Customs looks at large orders (not alway's)... but better safe than sorry...

Legally Customs can "hold" your parcel for up to 90 day's .. usually a rookie.. just jerking his/her athourity.. .. I had one held for 30 some odd day's once.. that was in SOSF .. LAX.. no worries.. they are as they're acronym states... very LAX...SOSF is really not a concern .. they just drag their butts every once in awhile ..East coast.. I have Cigars come in form Geneva and Hong Kong .. Cypress.. never a problem brining them in through the East coast ports.. orMiddle America... that's probably the most relaxed region..

It can be a little nerve racking when you are doing this for the first time.. or even the first 10 times... .. the day's just drag by and you are looking at the screen every hour...like it will miraculously change.....

USPS only updates tracking once in a 24 hour period...and sometimes .. not many ... someone will forget to scan your package and it will appear "stuck" someplace.... don't panic..do not call USPS .. never call Homeland Security .. (Customs) .. even if you do have a Rep that is "siezed" and returned to the original post.. the letter will ask you if you want to contest the siezure...DOHHH... never call Customs..use the letter for starting your summer Barbi !!!!

I am giving you all the possible senerio's so you DON'T have to worry.. you may think the worse.. but this is so you are aware of what is going on with your parcel....

ie. .. it will say "Inbound Customs"...all this means is that it has to pass through customs like everything else .. letters included .. if you recieve your parcel with

a Green customs tape on it..

DON'T PANIC..... they just went through the drill of looking inside...just to make sure there's no Opium in there..

If it has been opened and it is not resealed with the Customs tape .. then someone else has opened it... Customs has a tendacy to shove the contents back in.. if it's damaged report it to your collector...DO NOT ... claim it with Customs.. for obvious reasons..

Do not use PO Boxes.. if you must get a Private Mail Center.. You don't want to bring attention to yourself by too many trips to the PO to pick up watch stuff.. I use a Private center.. because I am never Home to recieve the parcels... it works out better for me...

Anyway.. here is the tracking as it would appear on the USPS web site..

Delivered, June 17, 2008, 12:57 pm, HONOLULU, HI 96814

Arrival at Unit, June 17, 2008, 9:58 am, HONOLULU, HI 96813

Processed, June 17, 2008, 8:56 am, HONOLULU, HI 96820

Inbound Out of Customs, June 16, 2008, 11:00 am

Inbound Into Customs

Inbound International Arrival, June 16, 2008, 3:46 am, LOS ANGELES

Foreign International Dispatch, June 14, 2008, 9:45 pm, GUANGZHOU EMS, CHINA PEOPLES REP

Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

Foreign Acceptance, June 14, 2008, 6:26 pm

1. Foreign Acceptance - Foreign International Dispatch .... 3 day's "AFTER" you get your EMS tracking number this will be the first post... nothing will be posted until it is ready to be loaded on the Plane .... this is where .. if the paper work is not correct problems will occur.. but it has never happened..

2. Iternational Arrival... LAX ... Landing in the USA

3. Inbound Into Customs.... it's just SOP into Customs..

4. Inbound out of Customs I'm Free!!!

5. Come to Daddy....

6. Arrival at Unit.. At your Post Office... in your Area..

7.... Delivered !!! the Eagle has Landed... yahhooooo

Edit Add;

Saturday and Sunday are of course not considered business day's so the parcel could sit in your post office until Monday because EMS is 4 day's but the weekend dosen't count ( alway's took issue ) with that line of reasoning..

OK... so with all the concerned Post ... I hope this eases your stress !!!! .. cause it is really not a problem... the problem is trying to scratch that "ITCH"

Aloha~Cheers

Lani

[ubiquitous]

Great read, and very helpful advice for noobs and oldtimers alike

[MADRED7]

WOW Lani.....thats a good read and very usable info for newbies....thx.

Allthough I am not in the US, we all feel the same after the first step of sending our cash to the dealer is done.

Wait is hard and after 4 long years in this hobby I still get nervous during the waitingtime

A thing I will never get used to.....but also a thing I allways liked about my hobby

THIS TEXT SHOULD BE PINNED FOR NEWBIES (eerrrh not mine of course).....mods, what do you think?

Theo

[lanikai]

Thank you UBI .. PAM .. but this was done on the fly... since we have so many new members arriving.. it can be kind of nerve racking not to have a clue.. what's happening with your beloved Replication .. something should be done properly though.. I think it would benefit all the Q&A's from Noobs...

[freddy333]

First of all Customs turns the other cheek.. UNLESS.. you are recieving multiple orders of the same models... this is a Red Flag for Home Land Security.. this is a sign of .. RESALE of an illicit article.. and stops being our "Hobby".. and is then labeled "counterfieting" for resale... so think twice before you think you can become a dealer in the USA.... people have tried before .. and failed miserably.. IMO .. it's only a matter of time before you get "A LETTER" .. and "Resale" is a serious Federal offense... they could even throw RICOH at you .. so think hard before the lure of fast cash gets to you..!!..

Lani -- Great write-up, but I have to disagree with what you said above. As I understand the seizure laws pertaining to the importing of contraband goods through the mail, US Customs can & will seize any illegal goods (replicas) they find during package inspections, regardless of the number of items in the package. I cannot imagine a Customs agent turning the other cheek & allowing a rep watch to continue on its way just because there was only 1 in the package.

[like2watch]

Lani -- Great write-up, but I have to disagree with what you said above. As I understand the seizure laws pertaining to the importing of contraband goods through the mail, US Customs can & will seize any illegal goods (replicas) they find during package inspections, regardless of the number of items in the package. I cannot imagine a Customs agent turning the other cheek & allowing a rep watch to continue on its way just because there was only 1 in the package.

Your right Freddy but when there are bigger priorities and few people available to process the cargo our goodies are a long way down the list...

Imagine an Xray operator who has the great job of looking at EVERY ITEM on the belt.... No way he/she can stop and put every package aside with one watch inside- and if he see's 3 or 4 in one package and they are all different shapes and sizes well that's just 3 or 4 cheap chinese novelty items (you will get the benefit of the doubt cos other contraband is higher on the customs agenda)..... 4 that look identical in one box and a pattern of consignments to one address now there is a package worth having a little look see at.... Maybe they will even let it go to you with the tape on the outside to say they had a look but you can almost bet on it that the next one heading your way will get a good look at.

[lanikai]

Lani -- Great write-up, but I have to disagree with what you said above. As I understand the seizure laws pertaining to the importing of contraband goods through the mail, US Customs can & will seize any illegal goods (replicas) they find during package inspections, regardless of the number of items in the package. I cannot imagine a Customs agent turning the other cheek & allowing a rep watch to continue on its way just because there was only 1 in the package.

Well.. I take your opinion as justified,.. however,.. I speak from experience and also after talking with Customs Agents.. (informally) on a variety of issues,.. also a good friend is employed by Home land Security..

do you see the pic of the green Customs tape in my post .. well I have enough of those to wall paper your living room wall ..and not one of the parcels that was opened had anything siezed

And as you youself say.... they can and will sieze illegal contraband ... "if they wanted to" (IMO) so the "fact" that I have my reps after they have searched my boxes say's something of this point..

It is by Law "illegal" to park in front of a mailbox in front of someones residence... do you see anyone getting a ticket??

I was told by a senior customs agent that what they are looking for is the "resale" of these items not people who buy these for personal use..

Cuban Cigars are a "big deal" to the US... the Attorney General proclaimed 2 years ago that they are going to enforce the embargo with "seriousness"

and I can testify that they have done so.... another friend of mine had to spend 40k to keep from doing time.. that was his legal bill.... because he got them for "resale"...

so you see there is a line to cross .. as long as you stay within the parameters of that line and "play nice" no harm no foul..

A collector that is no longer here and was based in the USA ....last year messaged me that he wanted to "talk" about customs issues because he started having them .. I told him the same thing .... stop with the resale.. in other words stop multiple orders of the same models .... the money was to much of a distraction.. and he kept on... took everyone through hoops with his story of woe ..... in the end he did have major issues with customs..

But Freddy you should know by now I don't print conjecture especially in this topic.... you may slide by with large orders ... but once your address is in question things start to escalate in their eys's .... if you get my point..

So I will stand by what I say.. no more than 3 reps per order in one parcel.. that is the guidelines I follow anyway.. up to you to choose your own.

[lanikai]

Your right Freddy but when there are bigger priorities and few people available to process the cargo our goodies are a long way down the list...

Imagine an Xray operator who has the great job of looking at EVERY ITEM on the belt.... No way he/she can stop and put every package aside with one watch inside- and if he see's 3 or 4 in one package and they are all different shapes and sizes well that's just 3 or 4 cheap chinese novelty items (you will get the benefit of the doubt cos other contraband is higher on the customs agenda)..... 4 that look identical in one box and a pattern of consignments to one address now there is a package worth having a little look see at.... Maybe they will even let it go to you with the tape on the outside to say they had a look but you can almost bet on it that the next one heading your way will get a good look at.

And I may ask like2.. are you talking from experience of 100 shipments and converstions with

Customs agents or is this soley conjecture and theory or observation on your part...??

You see alot of the posts on the board is conjecture and theory when it comes to these things... so take it for what it's worth from someone with some experience ... not someone with some theories..

Edit add: btw the boxes with tape "was opened".. the Rep styrafoam box inside "was" opened..the bubble wrap "was" sliced open .. the rep was taken completely out of the bubble wrap and put back ..so to do all this to .. in your words.... "say" in other words your saying they just sent me a "message"... puhleeeaase .... you are speaking of what "you think".. not what you know...

[doc savage]

My latest package from Jay hit SFSO at 2AM and cleared Customs by 8AM. I do prefer LAX since I usually get my reps the very next day.

My biggest problem is taking delivery--we have one of those mail lockers so every house on my block gets all their mail stuffed into a 4 inch box. The reps usually won't fit so I get a delivery notice instead, DENIED!

I never had any delays or saw any green tape, even though the postman has asked me why I get so much stuff from China.

The largest single order wasn't watches, but rep clothes. I ordered a couple dozen items once from a wholesaler/dropshipper; I wouldn't do it again but there were no issues with shipping. On the other hand, I didn't get more than two of any one item, so it probably didn't look like resale.

[lanikai]

My latest package from Jay hit SFSO at 2AM and cleared Customs by 8AM. I do prefer LAX since I usually get my reps the very next day.

My biggest problem is taking delivery--we have one of those mail lockers so every house on my block gets all their mail stuffed into a 4 inch box. The reps usually won't fit so I get a delivery notice instead, DENIED!

I never had any delays or saw any green tape, even though the postman has asked me why I get so much stuff from China.

The largest single order wasn't watches, but rep clothes. I ordered a couple dozen items once from a wholesaler/dropshipper; I wouldn't do it again but there were no issues with shipping. On the other hand, I didn't get more than two of any one item, so it probably didn't look like resale.

I get so many boxes opened (not as much recently .. I think they know my address ).. because we are a major Port City with Military Bases .. so things are a little tighter here than say .. Denver..

It will make a difference too ... where you live in logistics to the Airport where the parcels are sorted.. if you see the different zip codes on the tracking I posted you will see the airport post office .. then it's trucked to the downtown central post office ... then from there to my mail center.... I usually get it by 10:30 .. but it depends on when the Plane arrives from the West Coast..

I got a private mail center close to the gym since I past there almost daily .. and the gal calls me as soon as she signs for it... Home got to be extra trips to the post office.

[kitersoze]

wow, that's very helpful and puts me and i'm sure alot of other noob's a bit more at ease. thanx a bunch.

[lanikai]

wow, that's very helpful and puts me and i'm sure alot of other noob's a bit more at ease. thanx a bunch.

I hope things don't change with the New Administration in place ...with all the economic cut backs in "man Power" .. we here in the islands see things taking a little loner (not by much) since we depend soley on air and ocean vessels for "all" our goods ....

The only thing to remember to "never do" is answer any letters (if you recieve any) from customs .. or call them asking any questions at all..

if sending watches for repair back to China.. list the goods as "costume jewelry accessory " .. gift.... and value @10 usd.. do not list as "watch" or "repair"

You may be in jepordy of loosing the timepiece if these issues are deviated from...

[bkwbkw]

Thank you for this thread. I've made my first purchase from a trusted dealer and I saw "Inbound into Customs" on USPS and panicked.

Then I read this gem.

mahalo!

Edited March 4, 2009 by bkwbkw

[asf]

Awww, the uninitiated cant squeem in their pants

Great write up!

[trailboss]

Great post mate!

I can confirm for Aussie members that wot he said applies here as well. Customs have much more serious things to worry about than your hobby. I have never had a worry here, never been charged duty on goods. If you own a company "munufactures sample" is allways a good dodge.

One thing for OZ, DO NOT allow your collector to hide stuff in toys etc. This is another red flag to customs. As soon as they see on xray anything hidden in somthing else they get very interested very fast. Here, regardless of the value of the item this is smuggling and THAT is a big deal indeed.

Col.