We all hate it when our packages take forever to get to us! Not just because it's annoying, but because in our economy, time is money. Here are some common reasons why your delivery is taking longer than expected, and how to speed things up.

Reasons why delivery could be slow

1. Duties and taxes haven’t been paid, or customs agents are unable to reach receiver. Duties and taxes must be paid before a shipment can be delivered.
2. The commercial invoice is inaccurate and further inspection or investigation is necessary.
3. Government agencies need to get involved. For example, the Food and Drug Administration here in America may have to inspect a food shipment.
4. Shipment contains a restricted commodity.
5. ITAR (International Traffic in Arms) shipment. These are heavily regulated

Here are some simple steps to expedite delivery:

1. Provide both phone number and email for the receiver so that customs can easily collect duties and taxes.
2. Have the duties and taxes billed back to you as the shipper so that the package can sail straight through customs and be delivered. This is standard practice with Amazon.
3. Provide all necessary documentation and labeling for any restricted commodities.

Need Additional Help to Understand Your Shipment?

I get it! International shipping is a little more involved than domestic shipping, and not all of us really paid attention in our economics classes to understand customs laws. Give us a call at OptimalShip; we can get you set up with DHL Express and be “in your corner” for all your international shipments. Our customer service team is available 7am to 7pm CST and an agent will pick up within 3 rings! We can open traces, research what needs to be done to clear a package through customs, facilitate communication, and teach you how to prepare a shipment so that it won’t get stuck in customs.