When an international order stalls, two different systems are usually at work. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may examine or hold the shipment. The seller's terms and the carrier's claims process decide whether you get a refund, a replacement, or a shipping investigation. Those aren't the same remedy.
If you're already waiting on a parcel, start with the latest tracking scan and the party that actually controls that step. If you haven't ordered yet, pin down the shipping route, possible import charges, who handles customs, and the seller's policy for returned or undeliverable packages. Save the product page, checkout total, invoice, order confirmation, tracking number, and any delivery promises.
This is for U.S. shoppers. CBP and the named carriers publish import and shipping procedures; none of that creates a universal refund or chargeback right.
Which party controls which problem?
CBP handles the import process, including examination and entry. The postal service, courier, or express carrier moves the package and may coordinate customs processing. The seller or marketplace controls the order terms, returns, and any refund or replacement under its policy. For a courier shipment, a customs broker may file or facilitate the paperwork.
A customs release doesn't tell you whether the seller must refund the order. A carrier claim is a shipping remedy, not an automatic seller refund. Contact the party responsible for each part of the problem instead of treating one email as a cure-all.
What the $2,500 informal-entry figure actually covers
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Internet Purchases guidance, goods valued at less than $2,500 and shipped by mail or freight may, in most cases, enter as an informal entry.
Read that wording tightly. It says may and in most cases, not always. Informal entry is a customs-processing category, not a promise that the package is duty-free, and it doesn't assign who pays duties, taxes, or other delivery costs. CBP can still review the goods, delay them, or ask for more information. Treatment can also change with the type of goods and the shipping method.
Don't treat $2,500 as a free-delivery guarantee. Ask the seller or carrier how charges will be handled before you place the order.
Mail and courier shipments aren't processed the same way
The route changes who prepares the paperwork.
| Shipping route | What CBP describes | What you should check |
|---|---|---|
| International postal service | After arrival in the United States, merchandise is forwarded to a CBP International Mail Branch. | Confirm the seller will attach a completed customs declaration. |
| Courier or express service | A customs broker hired by the commercial service usually helps move the shipment through CBP. | Save the courier's customs contact details and ask who answers requests for information or payment. |
CBP says a seller can help speed examination at an International Mail Branch by affixing a completed CN 22 or CN 23 customs declaration. As the buyer, check that the description and value match the contents. Don't assume the carrier will fix a blank or vague form.
Checks worth making before you pay
A website can look local while the goods ship from another country. Confirm the seller's location and whether the order will travel by international mail, a courier, or an express carrier.
Ask whether the checkout total covers only transportation or also duties, taxes, and customs-related charges. If customs can't release the parcel, or you decline delivery, find out what the seller does with an undeliverable package. Returns have a separate trap: where the item must go back, and who pays that shipping under the seller's terms.
Get those answers in writing when the checkout page is vague. A cheap shipping line can still leave charges due at the door.
If CBP holds the package
A hold isn't proof the seller or carrier lost the shipment. Use the latest tracking scan and work through the people who can actually move it.
Contact the seller and ask whether the customs information was submitted. Then contact the carrier or its customs broker with the tracking number. Ask what is missing, who must provide it, and whether there's a deadline. If they want an invoice or order confirmation, send the accurate one, and check that the description, quantity, and declared value match the goods you bought.
Ask the seller what its policy says if the package is returned instead of released. Keep every message, payment request, document, and tracking update.
Don't invent a product description or declared value, and don't ask the seller to mislabel the contents. Bad information can add another delay and weaken a later claim.
CBP's pages help you understand import processing. For a refund or replacement, the seller or marketplace is the contact under the order terms.
Lost, damaged, or marked delivered
Document the condition before you argue about it. Photograph the shipping label, packaging, and any damage, and keep the box and packing materials until the carrier or seller says you can discard them. Save the invoice, tracking history, and proof of payment, and write down the dates you contacted the seller and carrier. Describe the merchandise precisely, including quantity and identifying details.
For a UPS shipment in the United States, UPS support guidance says to start a damage claim within 30 days of receiving the package and a loss investigation within 30 days of the expected delivery date. UPS also says a claim may need supporting documents and a detailed merchandise description; its supporting-documents page shows the level of detail it expects.
Those 30-day windows belong to UPS. Don't copy them onto DHL, FedEx, the postal service, or another carrier. Use the carrier named on your tracking record and follow that carrier's stated deadline.
If tracking says "delivered" and you can't find the package, check the drop-off spot, household members, building staff, and nearby safe locations. Then contact the seller and carrier promptly. A delivery scan is evidence about status. It doesn't, by itself, settle what the seller owes under the order.
Who to contact first
Start with the seller. It can confirm the order terms, the declared information, and any remedy it actually offers. The carrier or customs broker comes next for tracking and clearance details. Use CBP's guidance to understand the U.S. import process, not to demand a seller refund.
If the seller or marketplace has a formal dispute process, follow its stated deadline and attach the records you saved. Keep the request factual: identify the order, state what happened, attach the evidence, and say whether you want help getting the package released, a replacement, or a refund under the applicable policy.
If a current order is stuck, send the seller the tracking number and your invoice today, then open a carrier inquiry with the same documents. If you're about to place another international order, get the route and who pays import charges in writing at checkout before you confirm payment.