[Discussion] we are measuring personal import at the wrong time and calling it noise
we are measuring personal import at the wrong time and calling it noise. Change my mind, genuinely — I have no stake in being right about this. The rules where I live changed between two orders six months apart. Nothing was announced; I found out by reading. Got a request for information and treated it as a seizure…
A hold, a request for information and a seizure are distinct administrative events. Each has its own process and deadlines, and the notice itself states which one you have.
nothing in this board is legal advice
Right, and clearance time is not carrier time. Blaming the shipper for a customs queue is a category error.
Asked somebody qualified locally rather than relying on this board. Best forty minutes I have spent on the topic.
Yes. Nothing here is legal advice and the good posts on this board say so themselves.
Asked somebody qualified locally rather than relying on this board.
This is why every thread here has to start with a country.
Asked the supplier what documentation travels with the shipment and got a straight answer. That was reassuring in itself.
the answer for Canada does not apply anywhere else
How long has it been sitting, and at which stage?
Import rules are national and they distinguish between personal and commercial import, with different thresholds, documentation and consequences. A general answer is almost always wrong somewhere.
Declared value and product description are chosen by the shipper. Asking what they use is a legitimate pre-order question and the answer tells you how routine this is for them.
That delay was at clearance, not with the carrier. The lane table separates them for exactly this reason.
Small fix — those rules apply to commercial import. Personal import is governed separately and more narrowly.
Kept every document including the dull ones. When a process started, having the dates in order made it short.