"Held in Customs ISC CHICAGO IL" What is going to happen now?

Summary: lud-4367 expressed concern over a package being held in customs at the ISC in Chicago, which was unusual compared to their past experiences. lotzofuniquegoodies suggested that it might be a routine check and advised signing up for tracking alerts to stay informed, reassuring them that it's likely not a significant issue. recped asked for more details on the tracking status, while msau4301 shared that they had similar experiences recently, suggesting delays might be due to summer holidays or reduced staff. Eventually, lud-4367 reported that the package had started moving again after being held multiple times. Other participants shared their similar experiences with packages being delayed in customs, with one mentioning tariffs as a possible cause. Some participants also mentioned the importance of knowing the origin of a purchase to avoid delays.

Held in Customs

ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), UNITED STATES

I haven't experienced this recently, and it's been usually showing like this, Arrived at USPS Regional Facility, Item processed, Departed USPS Regional Facility. The prosessing time wasn't long either. It usually took a day or two for getting in and out of customs. I did experience a long delay from chicago distribution center in the past, but I don't think I've ever seen "Held in customs" before. Does it mean there's something wrong with the package? I don't think I did anything wrong though. Will there be heavy delay? Or something even worse? Thanks in advance.

lud-4367

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Posted 2 years ago · Edited 2 years ago·Last reply 11 months ago

12 comments

Anonymous User

·11 months ago

good job gop. making us great. thumbs up.

i have a jacket that has been stuck there for 10 days.

femmefan1946

·2 years ago

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The only concern is now that I'll get extra days for shipping a bigger parcel.

Did the seller put the wrong dimensions or weight on the parcel?

Expect to pay extra postage if they did.

Is the shipment past the last estimated delivery date?

You can open an Item Not Received (INR) claim for 30 days after that last date.

Otherwise mark the last day on your calendar , it will likely arrive before then.

msau4301

·2 years ago

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It's not just you, I've noticed this several times in the last few weeks and never seen them use the term "Held in Customs" before now. I had one package that was "Held in Customs" for about 5 days which I was getting concerned about and did the USPS email updates route so I could stop looking (we all know we shouldn't but sometimes can't help it). Everything has eventually made it through but seems to be taking a few days longer to pass through customs than usual. I've just chalked it up to summer holidays and less staff and/or different staff working different departments to cover time off.

Not sure if it's coincidence or not but I've noticed the slightly larger size boxes seem to take a bit longer than small (by small I mean the size of a Barbie, by large a doll trunk).

lud-4367

OP2 years ago

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@msau4301

Thanks for this. I feel relieved. I thought something went wrong with my package. The only concern is now that I'll get extra days for shipping a bigger parcel.

msau4301

·2 years ago

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Even with the delayed "Held" most of my items still made it on time with the exception of two, one was one day late, the other two days but the buyers did not complain and no problems showing on my seller dashboard. Also to note is that once they are on the move again, the next part is pretty quick. Once it went from held in customs to "Out for Delivery" a day later (though certainly don't expect that as the norm!)

lud-4367

OP2 years ago

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@msau4301 wrote:
Even with the delayed "Held" most of my items still made it on time with the exception of two, one was one day late, the other two days but the buyers did not complain and no problems showing on my seller dashboard. Also to note is that once they are on the move again, the next part is pretty quick. Once it went from held in customs to "Out for Delivery" a day later (though certainly don't expect that as the norm!)

It's finally moving after 2 more Held in Customs (4 in total in 2 days). It's not quiet yet to Out for Delivery, but it does show bunch of processes on one day. Thanks a lot for the extra info.

gloriajean59*2010

·1 year ago

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My T-Shirt has been stuck in Chicago customs for ten days. They say it’s because of the tariffs. I ordered this on 6/13 and here it is 7/8 and still no movement. It’s only a Tshirt. Don’t order anything from a place you don’t know where it’s coming from. I sure won’t again.

gloriajean59*2010

·1 year ago

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I didn’t order through eBay which I should have.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·1 year ago

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@gloriajean59*2010 wrote:
I didn’t order through eBay which I should have.

@gloriajean59*2010

If it was an eBay seller their location is amongst the listing details. eBay sellers are all over. you order from? It's how they ship that can be the bigger question.

recped

·2 years ago

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How long has it had that status? Are you tracking it at USPS or Canada Post?

lud-4367

OP2 years ago

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@recped wrote:
How long has it had that status? Are you tracking it at USPS or Canada Post?

Using both, and it's been a day, but my concern was about "Held in Customs" since I haven't experienced it before.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

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@lud-4367 wrote:
Held in Customs
ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), UNITED STATES

I haven't experienced this recently, and it's been usually showing like this, Arrived at USPS Regional Facility, Item processed, Departed USPS Regional Facility. The prosessing time wasn't long either. It usually took a day or two for getting in and out of customs. I did experience a long delay from chicago distribution center in the past, but I don't think I've ever seen "Held in customs" before. Does it mean there's something wrong with the package? I don't think I did anything wrong though. Will there be heavy delay? Or something even worse? Thanks in advance.

@lud-4367

Is item involved weird or questionable? Often it may be just a random spot check. Something may not have looked right when it got scanned (xrayed). Is value super high? Make sounds? Mostly likely it will move on its way shortly. You can update yourself for alerts with CP and USPS to get any further updates along the way. For now I wouldn't worry about it. Important to remember they process millions of packages.

-Lotz