Do US Customs notify the sender or recipient?

[Frankie]

I sent two shipments on the same day. The one to the UK arrived long ago, the one to the USA seems to be lost. I wonder if the Customs upon seizing the stuff notify any of the parties shown on the envelope. In other words, i would like to know if it was confiscated or just stolen/lost.

I believe some of you people have experience with them.

[Legato525]

I order Absinthe online from a couple sellers to be shipped to the US. I have never had a shipment confiscated by US customs. I believe as long as the customs documents were filled out properly and nothing is found to be contraband, they will send it through. That is my experience from outside the US. Now I did sell a record on eBay to France once, customs would not clear it do to "inaccurate documentation." It took about 3 weeks before customs got it back to me so I could fix the error.
Hope this helps.

[Frankie]

Well, I have not filled in any Customs documents. It was a private letter, noncommercial, but including liquid and cigs. Maybe that is the problem. But they should tell *somebody* if they took it.

[Legato525]

Ya, I thinks that's the problem. I think even a letter that they believe is more than a paper document, they are going to want customs forms. I used to have to fill them out for the dumbest things. I always put gift on the document to avoid the customs tax we pay here. If it was searched and denied entry, you should receive the item back eventually with customs seal on the tape used to reseal. Provided they did not believe the item to be illegal, but I am sure you would be notified in person.

[Frankie]

Ah, so that is fine then. E-cigs are not illegal to own or give as a gift in the USA I believe and they are competely legal here (new law bans their use from non-smoking areas thus acknowledging their existence etc.) Its a relief they send the post back - the liquid has long shelf life, so I will just fill in some more papers. And as for the personal visit: In the 90-ies I interpreted English anti-drug LE program for many of our Customs investigators, so some might remember me from the good old Balcan Route drug hunt days. Let them come. Sort of reunion after 15 years

Thanks.

[outofstep]

Frankie, I know that with illegal prescription drugs, if customs seizes them then the recipient receives a letter about the seizure.

[trog100]

so far we have shipped hundreds of small brown e cig packages.. to over 27 different countries..

never a problem.. however they do takes ages to arrive in the US.. some nearly three weeks.. but they always get there in the end..

i did start a thread to this effect a few days ago to allay peoples customs fears but someone considered it to be product spam and moved it to the suppliers forum..

for some reason unknown to us.. US delivery takes longer than anywhere else we have shipped to.. at a guess they could just sit in the back of the US customs shed for a couple of weeks.. delay means nothing other than the US customs and postal service can be very slow..

trog