stuck in customs

[jrr74]

So I did a BIN eBay deal  for a MLP play set and now my it is being held up in custom.  It was sent through the GSP from somewhere in the UK.  EBay has already directly refunded my money back (no playing around I guess).  Does anyone have clue of what might have happened?  Is there anything I can do to maybe get it delivered/out of confiscation?  Its a collectable item with parts still sealed in their package.  I hate to lose that play set. 

Scratching head,
jrr74

[pyrodarknessanny]

thats a weird thing to get  held up .

im not sure what your country's customs laws are  but I have had in the past items  held up  and quarantined  because the person  had  sent them  in  a  used   food box!  *( it was a  box marked Subway shredded Iceberg Lettuce)  they also appeared to have used some kind of straw as the packing materiel.

both things   are  heavily fround upon by  my countries border controls /customs .

i cant remember what  the process was exactly. I know  I got   a scary letter saying my  item was being withheld  and   there was a phone number to call, but that happened years ago i don't recall what  happened  but I did eventualy get my item.


if they gave you a  case number or  ticket number  prehaps  call the  help line for   customs and chase it up.   the reason it  got held up might be something as simple  as   bad choice for packaging.   

[Ringlets]

If it went through the GSP then they would have repacked the item so they should know what is restricted   I cant think of any reason why the item is stuck . There are some restrictions on items you can ship from here to the US but an MLP  playset shouldn't cause any issues  . If there is a number then do try calling it (although it might cost a bit depending on whether your item is stuck in UK customs or US customs) . You have tracking so maybe someone somewhere can give you some insight.   If the GSP repacked it in unsuitable packaging then they should get their butts kicked! also the item would be returned to the seller eventually..so I guess if customs doesn't release it and send it to you, it will go back to the seller so maybe then you could contact them and get it shipped again  ?(preferably without the GSP!)

[lovesbabysquirmy]

*shakes head*  Oh the GSP... everyone has problems with the service and HATES it!  Plus really who wants to pay 30% more in shipping for an item they repackage and usually damage!

[NoDivision]

How long has it been in customs, and were you specifically told it was confiscated by customs?

[LadyMoondancer]

I have heard of Pitney-Bowes (the Global Shipping people) stopping items because "that can't go through customs", when actually it was an item that WAS allowed to go through customs.  I wonder if that's the case here.

I hope the seller can get the item back, at least.  Then hopefully they can send it to you again?

[jrr74]

I want to apologize.  I meant the GSC in UK, not customs..

I contacted eBay and actually got through within 5 minutes (woo-hoo).  Of course, they were of no help except to tell me that the item should go back to the seller (i.e.  unable to say why the item was undeliverable

Undeliverable - Item restricted at Global Shipping Center
Dec-08-15, 15:10 PM, Alfreton. 

I contacted the seller so hopefully I will be given the opportunity to purchase the item again. 

Thank you for the responses/advice.  Will let you know how things end. 

Fingers crossed,
jrr74

[Taffeta]

Is it a playset that involves batteries?

Our postal service has a bee in its bonnet about batteries. When we post anything out now, we're told that we can't send batteries anywhere. I don't know why, exactly, just that it's the case. If it was a playset with batteries, there is a chance that that's why it was rejected. Since GSP requires the item to be unpacked and repacked in a way that means you pay more money for them to ship it more slowly and more cheaply, even a tiny battery item would be noticed and then flagged.

I have sent ponies out of the country with battery compartments, but none with batteries in since this came into effect. I just haven't tried :-/.

The GSP is a pain though. It compromises the safety of your item, it takes forever and it's just too expensive. I can live with the shipping cost, but I refuse to pay 3x the UK custom charge to import an item because a seller is too lazy to go to a post office, get it weighed and posted. I can't drive and I can't navigate; at home I have barely any reasonable public transport and if I can manage to go post something even in those circumstances, I have zero sympathy for someone else who wants the money from selling an item but can't be bothered to apply customer service and go the extra mile (literally).

All of that said!

With shipping from the UK to the US via the other method, there is the issue of Parcel Force and their magic imaginary volumetric weight...which means they'll judge the size of it and then charge you what they think it should weigh, not what it actually does. It is now really hard to send larger items like playsets overseas without hitting this milestone (where the shipping price goes from $20 to $70 because the parcel is maybe an inch bigger than the size guide, even if it is the same weight). So that might be why the seller is using GSP. In which case, you might have further problems importing this playset a second time.

[jrr74]

@Taffeta-It is just the perfume palace.  I don't think it is very big and there are no batteries.  It is the last US released play set I need to have a version of each one.  The Lavender Dream Castle shall remain a dream along with the other versions of the show stable...lol. 

have a great weekend!

[Taffeta]

@Taffeta-It is just the perfume palace.  I don't think it is very big and there are no batteries.  It is the last US released play set I need to have a version of each one.  The Lavender Dream Castle shall remain a dream along with the other versions of the show stable...lol. 

have a great weekend!

Hrm. No. No batteries. I wonder if they got scared by the spritzer. It's not that big, but the original box is quite bulky...I would think it'd go under the radar size-wise though, if it didn't have it's box.

(also has a similar dream scenario relating to lavender DC)

[LadyMoondancer]

I will bet you anything Pitney Bowes got confused by "Perfume Palace" and thought there was actual perfume sloshing around in the item.  Perfume is one of the items you can't send through the mail in the US.  It shouldn't be an issue with the Palace because it's just perfume scented, but welcome to GSP hell.

[Galactica]

I will bet you anything Pitney Bowes got confused by "Perfume Palace" and thought there was actual perfume sloshing around in the item.  Perfume is one of the items you can't send through the mail in the US.  It shouldn't be an issue with the Palace because it's just perfume scented, but welcome to GSP hell.

I think this is it.

[Taffeta]

Possible since the UK name is perfume puff palace, and that is written on the outside...maybe the scented spritzer caused the problem...

[LadyMoondancer]

Yeah, the spritzer and the whole shape of the playset.  I don't think they spend a lot of time examining each incoming package, so the thought process is probably "Oh, a giant perfume bottle, perfume is not allowed, throw it in the 'returns' pile."

[Ringlets]

Yeah, the spritzer and the whole shape of the playset.  I don't think they spend a lot of time examining each incoming package, so the thought process is probably "Oh, a giant perfume bottle, perfume is not allowed, throw it in the 'returns' pile."

*nods* This is ridiculous but I'm almost certain that its exactly what's happened   
although this being the case you can still have it resent via Royal Mail as its not actually something restricted.

I know there has been an issue with batteries at some POs but actually not all batteries are restricted. Say for example its a new item in its original packaging (and the batteries are small ordinary ones like button cell) , or the batteries are new in original packaging , or they are packed correctly - you can see how to pack them in some of the leaflets, prolly online too - then you actually can send items with batteries. Its just unfortunate that quite a few PO workers do not seem to know this or what type of batteries are restricted *eyeroll*