Customs Warning about not using customs forms on padded envelopes

wooww...
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
That's really useful to know this important information.

 

I hate it when this happens! Yes! Please! Always use customs forms!

 

basically, it looks more suspicious without the form. Considering the Anthrax scare and other possible bioweapons being sent from overseas, it makes sense for the Customs service to be cautious. I'm glad nothing happened to your stuff though.

A way you'll get tagged to be questioned and searched at a US airport is to have a bunch of one way flights in close proximity. Example: fly from Dallas to Denver on Saturday, from Denver to Seattle on Tuesday, from Seattle to Philadelphia on Thursday, and finally back to Dallas on Saturday. A friend of mine did it for fellowship interviews, and pretty much had the TSA in her behind at every outgoing airport. Apparently, oneway or weird iteneraries get some special code on the tickets, and the TSA looks more closely at you.

 

And sometimes the post tells you you don't need them, when you do! My wife mailed a bunch of padded envelopes, and didn't know that she should put them on. Turns out most of them didn't get where they were going, so beware!

 

At all my local PO's they make you put forms on all packages that aren't letters, it's free so no hassle, and I usually get a stack to take home so I can fill them out before I go to the PO, but here they won't let you ship anything without all the appropriate forms.

 

I added a link to this thread in the FAQ sticky so hopefully no need to bump this informative thread.

 

That's really strange. My post office refuses to accept any package unless all appropriate customs forms are affixed onto the package (usually it's just the green one); envelopes that aren't flat almost always require the green label. For those who reside in the US, the USPS website has more information on what types of forms and labels you'll need when shipping internationally. If you calculate postage, there will be little pop up links on the website (after you select what service) that specify what forms you'll need to complete when it comes to sending your packages to certain countries.

Edited to add the USPS Customs Forms page.

 

That's the thing... they told her they weren't big enough to need a customs form and she didn't know she should ignore that. I've also had some postal clerks tell me I couldn't get delivery confirmation on First Class packages in the USA, which most give me with no problems. But my post office is really, really a pain. The clerks are slow, have long talks about noting in particular while scads of people line up and you should never ask any questions. My wife made that mistake and her clerk went on to slowly tell her exactly the same thing in slightly different ways five times while she was telling him she understood and was trying to leave so someone else could get helped!

 

this subject is very interesting

when we send parcels from the Uk ..ie padded or plastic envelopes ..which I use
If they are sent
Small Packet , they have to have a customs form on it
if the package is light it can be sent Letter
If they are sent Letter ...they DONT have to have a Customs form on

BUT the past couple of months I have had a LARGE amount of packages to the US go missing ...I am wondering now if they are being opened and because they are not a letter ...and
lord know what they do with the contents
the past 3 batches of wigs I send out ... at least 2 parcels per batch dont arrive ...thats a lot of envelopes to just vanish ,I am replacing them out of my own pocket ...but this makes me wonder if its whats happening , especially as its now cutting into my profits as such a lot are going missing
and the past 6 months this has got worse .

so I think from now on I will send them all Small Packet and see if the amount of "lost" packages goes down s

 

i have a question about this. What about from OUT OF USA to Foreign countries, is it true if its small and not a letter it doesnt need customs form? (just what i heard)

 

This happened to me the last time that I sold a doll outfit via ebay to someone in Europe. I just wanted the equivalent of Priority or Global mail and insurance, and it ended up being a HALF HOUR ordeal with the guy behind the desk. I even printed out what USPS online said I would need, and showed it to him - he told me that it was COMPLETELY wrong.

After that, I don't sell anything outside the country anymore. The people behind the counter at the local post office seem more confused than me!

Also - does anyone know if when you use International Priority Flat Rate packaging using boxes provided by the USPS, do you still need forms and such on it? Do you still have to go to the post office, or are there forms or something you can get to fill out yourself, and then just drop into one of the big blue mailboxes? I've thought about shipping outside the country w/ the green form from my house, but I think you need to have a postal worker do something before it's shipped, so you HAVE to go to the Post Office, or have your mail carrier do something to the form? Am I correct on this?

I'm always confused by international shipping. USPS makes it so tedious!

 

is it just a padded envelope thing? :S or if you use unpadded envelopes do they check as well?

 

If you send it letter rate, it doesn't need a customs form. The problem is, if it's not flat and doesn't look like a letter, it can become a target for customs.

You do still need to go to the post office. The forms have to be filed with the post office and they have to put the appropriate stamps, stickers, etc. on the package. That's also why you can't mail any international packages from the nice automated postage machines.

It does apply to to unpadded envelopes, as well. If you have anything in there that makes it bulky and not flat, it becomes more of a target because it's not really a letter and you haven't declared what's in there.

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I've shipped and received things internationally for years and I've always had problems. Postal employees never know what they're talking about! I've been given wrong information, overcharged, etc. so many times it's ridiculous. It's even worse now that the postal regulations and fees have changed so much. No one knows what's going on! Some things online are wrong and sometimes the employees have no idea what they're talking about. The whole system is screwy.

It's best just to learn as much of the rules as you can and don't be afraid to contradict the postal employee...or leave. It's embarrassing, but I've had to walk out of post offices before and go to different ones, if they wouldn't give me the appropriate services (wrongly claiming no insurance or money orders to certain countries, etc.). I once even tried to mail a package to Australia and was told they couldn't do that - Australia wasn't in their computer system!

 

I mail a couple of things to the US and overseas, usually if they see that it is bigger than an envelope, they make you label whatever is inside.

 

A lot of it boils down to inexperienced clerks who lack the knowledge of USPS services. :/ If you're mailing from the US...

Basic rules:
- If it's sent First Class letter post (and is flat), your post office will not require a customs form.
- If it's sent in a padded envelope and is not completely flat, your post office will not mail out your package unless you've affixed a customs form (green -- at the very least).
- Depending on what class you're mailing as well as the size and value of your package to what country, you may need to use a different form. If you go to the USPS website on customs forms and access the link, Customs Declaration Forms Usage, you will see what specific form you need.
- If you print international postage online, it is generally eligible for pick-up/drop-off (depends on how familiar your post office is with CnS, though). However, it can only be sent through one of USPS's premium services, not First Class/Airmail. There is a fairly discount if you print your postage online for international packages. Customs forms + the label are printed as one.

Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on who you have working at your post office and how informed they are when it comes to shipping outside the US.

Jibrille, First Class Mail is eligible for domestic Delivery Confirmation if it's over 3/4" thick or in a "rigid" box. However, some post office employees will argue with you saying that First Class Mail is not eligible although it is, if it fits the requirements.

 

This is very bad even if this depends on the post office from the shipping country I think.
Here in Italy we have very severe rules to ship to USA... really too severe indeed and no post office accept an item without the necessary custom form that is always placed outside the box.
Indeed there is a chance that someone in the customs autority could decide to open the box anyway, as here in Italy, where the customs randomly opens the international boxes in a way really similar to the one described: with a knife!
We have experimented the same terrible thing here in Italy, so the stupidity of the customs employees seems to be international... -.-
Anyway another warning is always better than no warning at all.

 

I sent out recently around 10/15 packages via UK Royal Mail, some of them over a certain weight had to have customs forms and went via small package, others that were lighter, maybe a Tshirt or 2 or 1 was a small wig, which was very light, went airmail normal and didnt need a customs form, when I queried this, they said that under a certain weight you dont put a customs form on, even if a small padded envelope, as far as I know they have all arrived now, tho some people havent let me know, so could be wrong.

But this is a good thing to know, I will always do a customs form now for all packages, whether need it or not.

^_^

 

This is very interesting to learn, since I sell abroad quite frequently. The last thing I sent was to the USA and that had a customs form on it because I physically had to take it to the post office (too big to fit in a postbox) but that's the first time i've ever posted outside the EU. Packages to EU countries don't need a customs form on you see, perhaps that's where the confusion lies?
I will always make sure to put a customs form on my parcels now, I'll double check! I'd hate someone to buy something from me and it get damaged or not delivered because i'd neglected something so simple as a customs form...

 

tinybear I have had a lot of packages to the US go missing, until I started paying for insurance. Eever since then nothing has gone missing. Infact everything's gotten ther every quickly, including a very large package without a customs form (won't listen to post office again after reading this!). If you're not already using it, I would definately recommend it.

 

We don't have specific insurance for overseas that's the problem, Royal Mail insures within the UK just fine, but they don't offer any kind of insurance once it hits foreign postal services. There is some standard insurance on airmailed parcels, and basic on everything else, but not what you would call an 'extra' version.

My local PO won't accept anything without a customs form so not sure how those ones got out without.

 

Keep in mind, people, that no matter what the person in the country you are sending from says, it's the customs office in the country that's recieving the package that decides whether or not to open the package, and the rules there may be different from the rules in the country you're sending from! Also, I believe that some countries can declare a value for a package if it has no customs forms, and charge customs based on that value. So beware!

I've had a bubble envelope with no customs form opened (resealed with tape that said "checked for quarantine"- Australia has very very strict quarantines in place!), it was a lace doll skirt and there was actually a small tear in the lace at one spot. I had assumed the seller didn't notice this and sent it torn, but realized later that the quarantine/customs inspector may have pulled the skirt out of the envelope roughly and torn it. It was easy to fix- a couple of stitches- so it worked out OK in my case, but not everything is so easily mended.

So please, put a customs form on anything that is not a flat letter post envelope! Your local Post Office employees don't know what the situation is in the customs offices of hundreds of different countries, so better dafe than sorry! XD

 

Why wouldn't you put customs forms? 0_o; I'm pretty sure they are free and take about two seconds to fill out. I'd rather know what I'm selling will get there in one peice, I think it's worth the extra time. Plus I've never been to a post office that hasn't not let you ship something out of country without one.

 

They are free, and they're required by law.

Filling out a customs form won't ensure that your item will get to its destination in one piece, but it can save Customs and your recipient a lot of trouble when it comes to the contents of your package, short of opening it.

 

O.o Oh my God....I just sent a friend of mine in US a letter, but inside I put a couple more pictures...Does this also need that custom form thingy???

 

Photos in a letter should be fine. It's only when it's a package (anything from an envelope that's obviously got something other than paper in it to a bubble envelope to a box, etc) that they wonder what it is. Flat envelopes sent as letter can't even have customs forms put on them as far as I'm aware- they are sent in a different type of mail from the packages and get processed differently on arrival in the destination country. : )

 

The OP addressed her advice to NON-US mailers, so none of this really applies to us. She's asking European, Asian and UK members to put customs forms on everything that isn't a "letter" ie, a piece of paper with writing on it, or a similar paper item (photos, paperwork etc).

So basically pretty much everything that we are shipping as DOA members: Dolls, Clothes, Eyes, Wigs, will need a customs form.

Just to recap, as it seems there's a lot of confusion.
Raven

 

I think it applies to everyone, really. I mentioned above that I had a doll skirt sent in a bubble envelope without a customes form, and the envelope was opened and the skirt ripped. It was a package from the US, so please, everyone- put a customs form on if you're sending from the US. Like I said before, the people at your local post office don't know what goes on in any of the dozens of countries you may be mailing to, whether you're in the US or in another country, and it's the customs offices in the country you're sending to that decide whether to open the package or not, not the postal system in the country you're sending from.

 

A small note for the Europeans: Sending a package between European Union countries and Countries who aren't in the European Union do need custom forms. So we aren't free from this forms too.

 

Well, although it's just photos inside, it did make the envelope a bit fat. I hope they don't get suspicious of it. I have my embarassing prom photos in it! xD

 

I did NOT know about this!
when is send out my secret santa bubble envelope i was told by my post office (in the netherlands) that i didn't have to do anything! No custom form nothing! And now after a month she still hasn't gotten here gift so i'm afraid it's lost because of this? Way not send it back to the owner? (as i did put my own addres at the back)

 

Anything that is not a letter or documentation should have a customs form on it

Any parcel coming into Australia from a foreign country is susceptible to inspection by customs and they are just a careless here, even packages WITH a customs form can still be inspected, my Domuya bodies were opened and man-handled by customs they arrived with carbon marks on them from the associated paper-work.

When we send parcels OS not only do they require a customs form but our ID (Drivers License) is recorded and barcoded.... nice to be safe though

 

Wow, this is very strange that some post offices would say that you don't need to put a customs form on a package! I always ship Canada Post (from various locations) and have never had any issues thus far *crosses fingers*.
With anything more than regular lettermail (by that I mean a regular envelope with a letter and maybe some pictures) I've always been handed the customs form to fill out (contents/value/address of where it's going and my address again even though it's already on the package) that they stick on regardless of whether I'm using cheap small packet surface or expensive expedited with tracking number stuff. And I've shipped things as small as an article of MSD clothing or 12mm glass eyes. ^_^;

It's too bad that some people have post offices that don't know what they're doing when it comes to international mail. I mean, of course customs of any country would be extra-suspicious of any unmarked packages that obviously have some kind of content other than papers/a letter. X_X

 

I always, always put a customs form on international parcels when I mail them, even ordinary envelopes, as long as they have something non-paper in them. I did this all while I lived in the UK and now when I'm in Singapore. I've only had 1 or 2 parcels out of literally hundreds go missing over the last 5 years, so I think this practice has helped.
It's pretty common sense that labelling a package with its contents and value would expedite post office processing, especially in recent years with (1) the rise in international parcel post volume and (2) concern about terrorism, mail bombs etc.

 

People in the UK sending out parcels to the US, always insure it. Whether it's classed as a letter or not. It's more than likely going to turn up on the doorstep of whoever you sent it to. If it doesn't, you can claim money of it.

Also using an insured parcel puts a miniature customs declaration on the front. So it's less likely to be opened by the US customs. I always send insured, no matter how small the parcel is~ And i've never lost a parcel. Parcels that did seem to go missing still turned up eventually.

D: I'm so glad parcelfarce don't rip stuff open like that

 

I have sent padded envelopes/boxes many times from Poland(EU) to US without problems even if it was without customs form, just registered airmail.
In my country any additional things like tracking/insurance is very expensive(sometimes cost for the same parcel is higher then from US!) and only EMS and international parcels have labels with customs form...and only in polish and french! So I always have to write in english what is inside