International shipping doesn't end when an order is marked "shipped." The parcel can still need a customs declaration, an import review, extra payment, or approval for a restricted item.

If you're a U.S. consumer, start with these questions:

• Is the item allowed into or out of the United States?
• What information must appear on the customs form?
• Who pays duties, taxes, and brokerage fees?
• What should you do if customs holds the package?
• Which problem belongs to customs, the carrier, or the seller?

The destination country's customs authority controls the inbound side of an outbound shipment. Product type, value, origin, and shipping service all still change the result. The sections below cover packages entering or leaving the United States.

What controls an international shipment?

A carrier tracking page can't answer every question. Different parties control different parts of the transaction.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) handles U.S. import requirements. Other agencies can still regulate particular goods, including the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Customs clearance doesn't replace those rules. See CBP's customs duty information for the U.S. agency requirements that may apply.

CBP also doesn't decide whether an online retailer must refund you for a late, damaged, or undelivered order. Raise that with the seller, marketplace, or carrier under the applicable policy.

Before you buy or send

Do this before you pay for shipping.

Confirm the item is accepted. Ask the carrier or seller about restrictions for food, medicines, batteries, plants, cosmetics, alcohol, animal products, and other regulated goods.

Look past the checkout total. Ask whether the quoted price includes import duty, taxes, brokerage, handling, and delivery-area fees. If a seller says "duties included," save that wording. "Free shipping" usually describes the shipping charge; it doesn't, by itself, say whether import charges are included.

Confirm who pays: the seller, the recipient, or someone else. Then keep the description and value accurate. Don't label merchandise as a gift or reduce its value to try to avoid charges.

Read the delivery and return terms too. An international return may need a new customs declaration and can raise separate shipping or duty questions.

Keep the order confirmation, invoice, tracking number, customs form, payment receipt, and the seller's delivery promise.

How the international shipping process works

The sender chooses a service, measures and weighs the parcel, and prepares the customs information. The description should say what the item is, what it is made of when that matters, and its purpose. "Clothing" or "merchandise" can be too vague. "Cotton T-shirt" gives customs and the carrier more to work with. That wording should match the invoice, contents, quantity, and declared value.

Export processing comes next. The carrier or postal service may check whether the package needs an export declaration, license, or special handling. Missing information can delay a shipment before it leaves the origin country. For a personal parcel, the carrier usually walks the sender through the required label or customs form. A larger or commercial shipment may also need an invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate, or permit.

When the shipment reaches the destination country, customs reviews the declaration and may assess duty, tax, or other charges. Officials can request more information, inspect the contents, or send the item to another government agency.

For U.S.-bound online purchases, CBP explains how international internet purchases are handled. CBP says goods valued below $2,500 may, in most cases, use an informal entry. That's an entry process, not a promise that the shipment is duty-free or exempt from other requirements. To help a mail package move through CBP examination at an International Mail Branch, CBP also notes that the seller should affix a completed CN 22 or CN 23.

Courier shipments commonly use a customs broker arranged by the courier. Postal shipments follow a postal customs process before they move into domestic delivery. Either route can require the recipient to provide information or pay an assessed charge.

"Customs cleared" means the border step is done. It doesn't necessarily mean the package is already at the local delivery facility.

Customs forms and documents

The paperwork depends on the item, value, destination, and service. A typical consumer parcel often needs fewer documents than commercial freight.

Be ready to provide:

• Sender and recipient names, addresses, and contact details
• A specific description for every item
• Quantity and value for each item
• Country of origin when requested
• The appropriate Harmonized System classification
• A commercial invoice or proof of purchase when required
• Permits or certificates for regulated goods
• A return address and accurate package weight

The USPS customs forms guidance says customs forms can be generated electronically and that merchandise descriptions must be clear and specific. USPS also explains that the United States uses a 10-digit tariff code, while the international HS system begins with six digits. If you're unsure of a code, ask the seller, carrier, or customs broker rather than copying a code for a similar-looking product.

The USPS international shipment preparation guidance describes service-specific requirements. The usual exception is nonnegotiable documents with no cash value, weighing under 15.994 oz and sent with First-Class Mail International. Merchandise generally still needs customs information. Use the form generated by the postal service or carrier for the service you selected.

Holds are more likely when the invoice and customs form show different values, the description is vague or doesn't match the contents, the HS or tariff code doesn't fit the item, the sender marks a sale as a gift, a required permit is missing, the recipient's address or phone number is incomplete, or the destination country prohibits the item.

Take a photo or save a PDF of the completed declaration before you hand over the package.

International shipping costs and landed cost

The amount charged at checkout may not be the final cost. A practical estimate is:

Total cost = item price + shipping + duty or tax + brokerage or handling + insurance + storage or return charges

Not every shipment has every charge. A postal package can also have a different fee structure from an express courier or freight shipment.

Suppose an item costs $100 and shipping costs $25. A carrier later lists a $15 duty assessment and a $12 brokerage charge:

That's an illustration, not a duty quote. The actual amount depends on product classification, customs value, origin, trade rules, applicable taxes, and carrier charges. Ask for a line-item estimate before you order.

A duty is a customs assessment. A brokerage, disbursement, or handling fee is a carrier or broker charge. They're different charges and may be billed separately.

A low declared value doesn't automatically wipe out customs charges. Check current information from the destination customs authority, and ask the carrier how it handles the shipment.

DDP, EXW, and other shipping terms

Commercial delivery terms can affect who arranges transport, import clearance, and payment. Checkout pages don't always use them clearly.

• DDP, or Delivered Duty Paid: The seller generally arranges delivery to the named destination and pays import duties under the agreed term.
• EXW, or Ex Works: The buyer generally takes on much more responsibility from the seller's premises, including arranging transport and dealing with export and import steps.
• FOB, CIF, and similar terms: These can allocate particular transport, cost, and risk responsibilities, but their meaning depends on the agreed shipment and named location.

Don't rely on an abbreviation alone. Ask the seller:

1. Who is the importer of record?
2. Who pays duty, tax, brokerage, and storage?
3. Will the carrier contact the seller or recipient during clearance?
4. What happens if customs refuses or returns the item?
5. Are return shipping and original import charges refundable?

For a routine online purchase, the merchant's written shipping and refund terms are often more useful than an unfamiliar trade abbreviation. Save the terms shown at checkout.

Choosing a shipping service

A freight quote may cover only transportation between two points. Before you accept it, ask whether the price includes origin handling, destination handling, customs brokerage, duties, taxes, delivery to the address, and storage if the shipment is delayed.

Insurance is also separate from carrier liability. Review what is covered, what evidence is required, and how soon a claim must be filed. Photograph expensive items and the outside packaging before opening or discarding anything.

What to do when a package is stuck in customs

A customs delay doesn't always mean the package is lost. It may be waiting for a document, payment, inspection, agency review, or a reply from the sender.

Enter the tracking number on the carrier's official website rather than an unfamiliar text-message link. Look for a specific request, such as:

• Commercial invoice needed
• More information required
• Duties or taxes due
• Recipient contact required
• Restricted item review
• Customs inspection
• Delivery address problem

Then contact the party that can actually fix that request:

• Seller or sender if the invoice, declaration, or product details are wrong.
• Carrier or customs broker if the package is waiting for payment, a form, or a clearance instruction.
• The relevant government agency if the hold concerns a permit or regulated product.
• Retailer or marketplace if the shipment is late, damaged, or not delivered after clearance.

Ask for the exact missing item, the response deadline, and whether storage charges are accumulating. Request written confirmation when you can.

Provide documents through the carrier's official portal or a verified phone number. Before you pay a duty request, confirm that the tracking number, recipient name, amount, and shipment details match your order.

For a U.S.-bound postal package, the USPS customs forms FAQ says a recipient who has not received a detention or seizure notice within 45 business days may write to CBP through help.cbp.gov and include details about the package. That's a specific postal situation, not a general deadline for every international shipment.

If customs refuses entry, ask the carrier whether the options are return to sender, correction, export, or abandonment. Find out who pays for each option before you authorize it.

If the package is lost, damaged, or never delivered

Customs clearance and delivery are separate issues. Once a shipment is released, use the carrier's lost-package or damage-claim process and notify the seller promptly.

Keep photos of the packaging and contents, the tracking history, the invoice and payment record, customs notices and duty receipts, messages with the seller, carrier, or broker, and the promised delivery date and refund terms.

If you return the item, ask the seller and carrier how to document the return and how any import charges will be handled. A seller's refund policy, a carrier claim, and a customs process can run on separate tracks, so opening one doesn't automatically close the others.

Final pre-shipment checklist

Before you order or hand over an international package, confirm:

• The item is permitted in the destination country.
• The description, quantity, value, and classification are accurate.
• The recipient's address and contact information are complete.
• You know who pays duties, taxes, and brokerage.
• The service includes the tracking and coverage you need.
• You understand the seller's delivery, return, and refund terms.
• You have saved the documents and receipts.

For the shipment in front of you, start with the seller or carrier's written terms, then check the destination customs authority for current restrictions and charges. That two-step check is the surest way to catch a surprise bill or a preventable hold before the package leaves.