International package shipping going nowhere

[y_p_w]

I was sending a package internationally to a friend living overseas and did it USPS Priority Mail International Express flat rate where I sent a bunch of things including old clothes that my friend left with me. And a SIM card for sending and accepting texts overseas. Went to the post office and got a customs declaration form and filled it out the best I could. I called it a "gift" because I didn't know of any other way to describe it. The items really didn't have much value. The SIM card was free from the carrier. Also a small toy for my friend's kid. The whole goal was to get the SIM card, but when we found out about flat rate shipping that seemed like a good opportunity to just have a few items go along for the ride.

Not sure what the deal is. They were used clothes (with sentimental value to the recipient) and I picked a random value for them on the customs form, where I have no idea how much they're worth. I checked tracking and found it was stuck in the Los Angeles area for a week but just got an update where it looks like it's heading back to me.

I didn't even seal it at the post office, where the postal clerk did that and saw all the contents. This is all really, really bizarre that it never left the United States. Or I suppose there's the possibility that it actually got to the destination country and was rejected, but the overseas status isn't seen. I see a whole week between when it supposedly left US Customs and the next status in Carson, California.

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

SAN FRANCISCO CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 25, 2023, 10:36 pm​

​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:38 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:37 pm​

​

Departed USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 23, 2023, 12:27 am​

​

Customs Clearance​

ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

 

[y_p_w]

Also - I looked it up and sending the SIM card should be legal in the recipient country as long as it's for personal use. It's not electronics with a battery, which would require a special customs declaration. The mobile service provider has international roaming in this country and the phone number was switched (with my help) to this provider just in order to get texts, which can be used for various things like password recovery.

 

[PandaBear]

My guess is they do not believe your value of used clothing makes sense and they want you to declare a higher value. They suspect you are smuggling luxury items or name brand stuff with flat rate envelope and declare it almost free. Maybe just keep a receipt in there to show these are only worth so and so.

 

[researcher]

I don't see where customs is asking for a higher declared value. The tracking already shows it cleared customs. Just chalk this up to the odd behavior USPS has been doing lately.

 

[Jesse_NE]

Just be patient. It looks like they closed the ISC in San Francisco last year. So the package went to SoCal for customs clearance, and then probably got routed back to SFO since it's more efficient for stuff going to the destination.

 

[edyvw]

Security! No tracking once the shipment leaves the US or until it is in the US.
I think it was introduced after the shoe bomber.

 

[Vil_Riker]

When you get it back, it will have a rejection reason.\

 

[TheLastWord]

I was sending a package internationally to a friend living overseas and did it USPS Priority Mail International Express flat rate where I sent a bunch of things including old clothes that my friend left with me. And a SIM card for sending and accepting texts overseas. Went to the post office and got a customs declaration form and filled it out the best I could. I called it a "gift" because I didn't know of any other way to describe it. The items really didn't have much value. The SIM card was free from the carrier. Also a small toy for my friend's kid. The whole goal was to get the SIM card, but when we found out about flat rate shipping that seemed like a good opportunity to just have a few items go along for the ride.

Not sure what the deal is. They were used clothes (with sentimental value to the recipient) and I picked a random value for them on the customs form, where I have no idea how much they're worth. I checked tracking and found it was stuck in the Los Angeles area for a week but just got an update where it looks like it's heading back to me.

I didn't even seal it at the post office, where the postal clerk did that and saw all the contents. This is all really, really bizarre that it never left the United States. Or I suppose there's the possibility that it actually got to the destination country and was rejected, but the overseas status isn't seen. I see a whole week between when it supposedly left US Customs and the next status in Carson, California.

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

SAN FRANCISCO CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 25, 2023, 10:36 pm​

​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:38 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:37 pm​

​

Departed USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 23, 2023, 12:27 am​

​

Customs Clearance​

ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

Going nowhere? It is moving in USPS timeframe . Waiting for freight consolidation.

To where? Canada is very SLOW with customs. I just shipped to South Korea and it took 35 days. Some places are fast. Be patient

 

[y_p_w]

Going nowhere? It is moving in USPS timeframe . Waiting for freight consolidation.

To where? Canada is very SLOW with customs. I just shipped to South Korea and it took 35 days. Some places are fast. Be patient

I didn’t include the full tracking. It went from the Bay Area to LA and now back to the Bay Area. There’s a week missing and I’m thinking it could be that it was rejected by customs in the recipient country and returned.

 

[PimTac]

It seems like it would be cheaper and easier to let the other person get their own SIM card and remit money to them as needed.

Some countries require identification to purchase a SIM.

 

[y_p_w]

It seems like it would be cheaper and easier to let the other person get their own SIM card and remit money to them as needed.

Some countries require identification to purchase a SIM.

It’s for a foreign national to access a US phone number to receive text messages from existing accounts. It would go through international roaming the same as any foreign visitor. It’s not getting around any local controls.

It may have been something else.

 

[TheLastWord]

It’s for a foreign national to access a US phone number to receive text messages from existing accounts. It would go through international roaming the same as any foreign visitor. It’s not getting around any local controls.

It may have been something else.

What country?

 

[y_p_w]

What country?

I'll send a PM for that.

 

[vavavroom]

Mabe they package was damaged and that's why it's coming back. It happened to me recently. I dropped a package off but the next day I got it back all mangled with an apology that it had been "damaged" (content destroyed) during sorting.

 

[CleanSump]

Why secretive about the destination country?

 

[NormanBuntz]

Seems to me that since it's a customs package it's at the Frisco Port of Entry where it has to go before it departs for overseas.

 

[y_p_w]

Why secretive about the destination country?

OK. I was trying to avoid potential snark (and some political discussion), but my friend is living in China now. The situation is what it is and I'd prefer not to get into discussion on whether or not it's a good or bad thing to be there.

It's a Google Fi SIM card to be able to access text messages to a specific US phone number - especially for things such as dual-factor authentication and password recovery. It's not illegal to use as there is international roaming. I helped set it up for the Flexible plan which has unlimited texts, including in China. But I had to help set it up in the US since the SIM card can only be activated when present in the US. I believe once it's been activated, it no longer needs the Google Fi app to work in a compatible phone.

International Coverage & Rates - Google Fi Wireless

Learn how you can get data and texting abroad with Google Fi at no extra charge and with no extra setup, plus affordable calling, so you can step off the plane and go!

fi.google.com

 

[CleanSump]

OK. I was trying to avoid potential snark (and some political discussion),

No snark or judgement. Just curious as I have shipped to several Asian countries, including Big C when Daughter stayed there for a business assignment, and never had real problems. Occasionally foreign customs would charge a high tariff on the contents at pickup, but no rejections.
The high tariffs were for American branded jackets and clothing. Probably to discourage black marketeering.

 

[y_p_w]

I'm back to being curious what's going on. Here's the latest tracking update, where it's back in LA.

Moving Through Network​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 28, 2023, 2:02 am​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 28, 2023, 2:02 am​

 

[y_p_w]

Just for clarification, I dropped off and paid for the shipment at a post office in Berkeley, California. So here's the entire set of updates (nobody can really do anything with this stuff anyways) and I was thinking it was somehow being returned to me, since I live near Berkeley. Someone mentioned San Francisco, but I noticed it was in Berkeley, which seemed really bizarre since there's no major postal facility there. So the tracking info says it's gone south from the Bay Area to LA County twice.

Moving Through Network​

​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 28, 2023, 2:02 am​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 28, 2023, 2:02 am​

​

Arrived at USPS Facility​

BERKELEY, CA 94710​

September 26, 2023, 2:30 am​

​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

SAN FRANCISCO CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 26, 2023, 2:14 am​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

SAN FRANCISCO CA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 25, 2023, 10:36 pm​

​

Departed USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:38 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

LOS ANGELES CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 24, 2023, 5:37 pm​

​

Departed USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 23, 2023, 12:27 am​

​

Customs Clearance​

ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Facility​

CARSON, CA 90747​

September 16, 2023, 7:52 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility​

OAKLAND CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER​

September 15, 2023, 7:29 pm​

​

Arrived at USPS Facility​

BERKELEY, CA 94709​

September 15, 2023, 4:53 pm​

​

USPS in possession of item​

BERKELEY, CA 94709​

September 15, 2023, 4:45 pm​