Got a letter from the customs office about a parcel from Mexico. Reading it carefully before I do anything.
Customs handling fees are charged by the carrier, not the state, which is why they are so hard to contest.
Reading the statute rather than the summary changes the tone of everything you send back.
Filing the paperwork early is worth more than arguing later about whose fault it was.
The reference number on the letter is the only way anyone will find the file again, so it goes in the subject line of everything.
Has the handling changed recently for anyone else?
Everyone is an expert until the first seizure letter.
Photograph everything before you open it. Ten seconds, settles most disputes. Currently on a redelivery myself.
Same here.
What do you do about the fee? Do you just pay it?
Do you contact the customs office or the carrier first?
Be careful reading one parcel as a rule. Two successes build a false model.
The address matters more than the contents eventually. Changing what you order when the address is flagged changes nothing.
Split orders. Two small parcels beat one large one for reasons that have nothing to do with price.
The cheapest option costs more once you price in the failure rate.