My Rapa and other stuff (metformin and dog eye cream) are stuck at customs (JFK) shipped from India

[Zuman_Ju]

Nothing. The system knows it is from India though.

[Jay]

Zuman_Ju, as Agent Smith noted parcelsapp.com is a great site. I get better data there than with USPS or India Post Tracking. I’ve also had packages go loop 'd loop from one USPS facility to another USPS facility and back a few times before they finally got routed to me. These days I always look at an India order as a possible loss, and If that happens I just move on and readjust. I generally avoid big orders, though.

[tom2]

I am in NY too. They seized my small package of rapamycin in December and I didn’t bother with it after that.

I won’t be ordering anything again from out of the country.

There are a tons of other things available to improve health and longevity.

[Zuman_Ju]

Did they send you a letter?

[tom2]

Yes they did.

I was going to write a nasty letter to the Commissioner or whoever it was that seized my package, but I didn’t want to waste anymore of my time or energy.

[RapAdmin]

Some people have had success with arguing their case… see this post:

FDA-Customs detention

@Alex: I thought the lore was 300 pill limit. @RapAdmin: oaklandgrrl has apparently been successful, as she posted in Aug. 2023: “My provider gave me an update with this info. I then received a letter from customs that my package would be destroyed, but that I could petition to have it released, which I did. I wrote the FDA arguing that the contents of the package fell within the “personal importation” per 21 USC 384(j). I absolutely did not expect any response, however, a representative of the FDA responded and ultimately agreed to release the package for delivery but expressly did not accept the argument as the package branding was insufficient in that it did not identify the contents with an RX meaning prescription meds. Last week I received the package 1.5 months later.”

[tweake]

USPS International Inquiries = 800-222-1811. You need to put in a service request first.
Firing up the pipeline from this end SEEMS to get things moving. I have found them to be pleasantly helpful.
I also got stuck in a Queens Center - JFK doom loop one time. Back and forth about 4 times.

[Zuman_Ju]

The problem is I do not have a USPS tracking info. And this is what I get when I track it with the Indian Post tracking# at USPS.

[amuser]

What is the tracking number?

[Zuman_Ju]

Starts with RM ends with IN. Between 9 digit numeric.

RMxxxxxxxxxIN

[Jay]

Tweake, Thanks for that information. If you have time tell more about the process and what types of questions they asked you. You said, “put in a service request first.” I assume you mean do the service request before you call 800-222-1811? How do you do that? And, talking about the “doom loop” my current package may be in that loop based on the data in the attached chart below:

Apparently, my package is in a loop from JAMAICA NY INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER (Customs) to QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER (Standard USPS Center) and back. I believe it’s been through this loop 3 times so far, maybe four. Of course, I wonder how the USPS computer system has not detected such a problem, and is it actually being routed back and forth or is it somehow stuck on a truck that makes the route from one facility to the other then back. This, however, is not the first wacky thing I’ve noticed about the USPS Postal Service, but it’s a good one!

[Zuman_Ju]

My tracking info has no mention of USPS at all, anywhere.

[tweake]

Jay - As I recall after the USPS tracking screen responds there should be a delayed/lost report section which needs to be done and a resolution period passed. At that point a human gets involved. They will then contact you.
Sounds like you are through customs which is great. But the Queens Distribution Center is supposedly the worst one in the country. Of course some large percentage of their overload is their own do-overs. I have pictured the problem being a scanner picking up the wrong address due to a different IndiaPost location spec. So the issue is readily resolved by a human flagging I guess. Good Luck.

[Jay]

@tweake

Sounds like you are through customs which is great.

Well, that’s a very debatable statement considering that the package has been routed back to customs 4 times (so far) from the Queens Distribution Center. If it goes back to customs I assume they run it through their analysis system again no matter how redundant that is.

[DeStrider]

My package from India just got seized by US customs. I probably won’t be getting it back. It took 2 months to get the FDA letter. I’ll use other ways than post to get my meds from now on.

[Jay]

@tweake

I have found them to be pleasantly helpful.

Tweake, I tried your suggestion and I must have done something wrong because I did not find them helpful at all. In fact, getting in touch with a real person was impossible. I did put in a service request and have heard nothing at the four-day point. I called the 800-222-1811 number five times so far and have found it impossible to talk to a real person. The automated questions and answers I got were slow, ponderous, repetitious and thoroughly frustrating. My saying “live operator” at different points did get a response, followed by more automated questions and no live person. If you’ve got a guaranteed approach for this I’m all ears.

By the way, anyone going to USPS Package Inquiry at Email Us to inquire about a package is going to face a lot of questions, including package contents. I left that particular section blank.

[Jay]

For anyone interested I used the USPS online package inquiry system and several telephone calls to USPS about a package stuck in a loop from Jamaica International Distribution Center to Queens Distribution Center and back as far as I can.

It’s been 5 days with no response to the online package inquiry system: Email Us

With telephone calls I was finally able to contact a live person on one of the USPS telephone lines (1-800-222-1811, 718-990-1090, 1-800-Ask-USPS (275-8777)), but she was of no help. Her statement to me was that neither I nor she nor the USPS can fix this problem which I find totally unacceptable. She did, however, say that the sender could contact the USPS to get the problem solved, but she did not say how. Now, I find this very bizarre.

Addendum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc_nr9YGIfY (video about Jamaica International Distribution Center)

[DeStrider]

This is what happened to me on my last package. Then I received the FDA letter that my package was seized.

[CronosTempi]

I wonder if this is just some kind of stochastic variability in seizures, or if there’s a crackdown underway. I’m nervous as I need to buy some meds from India sometime in the fall of this year.

[Jay]

To conclude my USPS Tracking Dilemma under this topic, my package traveled through the Jamaica Distribution Center (customs) and the Queens Distribution Center for seven loops taking about 20 days. It has finally broken free of the loop and will be delivered. My telephone calls to USPS were time-consuming and of no benefit, but the online package inquiry system may have had an impact (unknown). So, if this happens again I will use the USPS package inquiry system, being cautious when answering questions about contents: Email Us . Now, for humor purposes only attached is the USPS Tracking data.

USPS.com® - USPS Tracking® Results.pdf (41.6 KB)