How long for a package to clear customs?

Been sat in “customs clearance” since 1st of March 😡

Coming from the US and I’d expect there to be some duty to pay but I’ve not had any request come through yet.

Is it drugs? If so you have to go and pick it up in person.

Phone the courier and get them to chase it. I’ve had (commercial) packages clear customs in a matter of hours with a bit of pushing from me. I’ve also had packages that have spent weeks not moving because someone has lost paperwork and not bothered chasing.

Thanks, Parcelforce so just sent them a message.

Is it drugs?

It’s my regular shipment of modafinil from my family doctor back home.

My experience with US stuff coming via Parcelforce once in the UK is they cock it up entirely and eventually send it back to the US.

With US orders, always if you can, avoid any courier option that will result in Parcelforce doing the UK part.

Couriers will automatically charge you for duty and a huge handling fee, regardless of what Mount Pleasant decides, sometimes sending an invoice weeks after delivery.

Any option that will be dealt with my standard Royal Mail in the UK stands a better chance of not being charged at all and more likely to get to you, plus the handling fee if they charge is sometimes less than some of the couriers.

Small items I used to order from US, I’d pick anything that went via Standard/airmail USPS as it wouldn’t be handled by couriers. Avoid express options as that will trigger Parcelforce.

Unfortunately didn’t get an option on the shipping. It went USPS which seems to have ended up with Parcelforce in the UK 🙁

Unfortunately didn’t get an option on the shipping. It went USPS which seems to have ended up with Parcelforce in the UK

Standard customs time with Parcelforce seems to be 1-2 weeks.

At least the USPS/parcelfarce option is substantially cheaper than other couriers. You get what you pay for…

Still got charged about 50 dollars for “shipping”!

Still got charged about 50 dollars for “shipping”!

Was this through Ebay’s system?

What size was the package? If it’s small enough to send via USPS first class. or whatever, it’s half the price and processed by the Royal Mail, in half the time, with half the handling fee…

Not eBay. No idea how big the package is. It’s a set of brake calipers so shouldn’t be that big.

Final answer was 12 days!

It’s my regular shipment of modafinil from my family doctor back home.

ha! silly spellcheck – you mean meldonium

Easy mistake to make apparently 😉

All imports seem to go through the big parcel force hub in Coventry, there doesn’t seem to be any choice in the matter.. I think UK customs have basically outsourced the job to them.

My Chinese wheels spent more time in Coventry than they did shipping to the UK. Once cleared and any import charges paid the items will go to a regional DC, for delivery to you.

If you have a tracking number it’s worth keeping an eye on the parcel force website for customs clearance status so as soon as they’ve pulled thier fingers out, you can pay any charges and the eveviatble handling charge over the phone immediately to avoid further hold ups.

It’s a bit of a con really but that be how it is.

Well it’s gone to my local depot but the status has now changed to waiting payment of customs charge saying that a letter has been sent. Shame they can’t just advise and pay online. Oh well good job I’m not in any hurry!

You can pay by phone.. If you have a tracking number, you don’t have to wait for a letter.
They won’t release the parcel till the fees paid so waiting for a letter could mean waiting another week.

Paying by phone should hopefully ensure its out for delivery Monday.

I think UK customs have basically outsourced the job to them.

I believe irrespective of carrier that is how the system works, customs only look at exceptions – agents access and use an online system to enter values/tariff codes and clear packages / container loads – they enter the details it either clears immediately or is held for a “manual” review of the documentation and coding – the biggest delay is in the agent reading the invoices, working out a tariff code and actually making the entry

might be a bit out of date but used to oversee a lot of urgent airfreight / regular sea shipments

You can pay by phone.. If you have a tracking number, you don’t have to wait for a letter.

Stupid automated system needs the reference number from the letter 🙁

Stupid automated system needs the reference number from the letter

ring up – fail to put a number 3 times and it lets you talk to a human who can give you the customs number from your tracking number.

I have done it like this this morning and my package will be delivered tomorrow! WoHo!

I ordered a book from Canada via Biblio, cost $16 plus $17 postage, and estimated six weeks to arrive! Wasn’t far out.

I’ve had guitars sit in customs for 6 weeks

Given that the guitars were already 2 years late its didn’t seem too bad……………………………..

My Chinese rims sat for1 day before I called and got them moving. If you sit and wait for the letter you wait forever. Parcel force add on such a huge lump even their staff apologise for it.

Letter arrived today. £12.50 of duty to HMRC, £8 to Parcelforce for sitting on my parcel for 15 days!

You can avoid the PF fee by kicking off as you at no point entered into a contract with them to process it for you hence the charge being invalid 😉

I’m not doing anything that’s going to further delay my parcel!

Well, after about 20 voicemail messages, sending back a form, them claiming that they’d lost the form, then claiming that the form was incomplete, I gave up and told Border Force to send my parcel back to the sender.

So of course the postie delivered it this morning 😀

I feel safer knowing our borders are so secure.

Ugh ParcelFarce “unable to locate premises” 🙁

Might as well head out, I’m assuming there’s no way it’s turning up today now!

Amused by this on the PF website…

“Your parcel has been returned to our depot following an attempted delivery or a problem locating the address. Our driver will have left a card explaining what to do next.”

So they can’t find the address (despite no other courier company ever having any problems). I wonder where they might have left this card that explains what to do next? 😕