Package stuck in customs for 2 weeks - should I be worried?
ISC NY is notorious for being slow, especially around holidays. 2 weeks isn't unusual. I've had packages sit there for 3 weeks before clearing. If it was seized, you'd usually get a letter from customs. Just be patient.
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Don't panic. Customs is always backed up. Mine took 17 days at ISC Chicago last month and then suddenly updated and was delivered 2 days later. No news is good news - if they found something wrong, they'd send you a seizure notice.
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This is why I prefer domestic vendors even though they're more expensive. No customs to worry about. But yeah for international orders, 2-3 weeks in customs is pretty standard unfortunately.
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Hey everyone, so I'm the one who posted about the package stuck at ISC New York. Figured I'd give you all a bit more detail since I've been obsessively refreshing tracking for two weeks now, and I know a lot of folks end up in the same boat.
So my order from IDGod shipped out about 3 weeks ago. It was sent via your standard international shipping — I think they used regular EMS, nothing express or fancy. The tracking showed it left China and hit the usual major transit hubs pretty quickly. It went through Shanghai, then spent a day at the sorting center in Shenzhen, then flew over and landed at ISC New York about a week after I ordered. That part was actually faster than I expected.
But then it just stopped. Since it hit ISC New York, honestly, it's been sitting there for exactly two weeks now. For those who don't know, ISC stands for International Service Center — it's basically the USPS sorting facility where all inbound international mail from certain carriers gets processed by Customs and Border Protection before it moves on to regional distribution. My tracking still says "Arrived at ISC New York" and hasn't budged. No "Inbound Out of Customs" scan, nothing.
I've been reading around and it seems like ISC New York is notorious for holding packages. Some people say their stuff cleared in a few days, others wait a month or more. The packaging from IDGod is usually pretty discreet — just a plain bubble mailer with no obvious markings, so tbh I'm not sure if that helps or hurts in customs. I've heard that smaller envelopes tend to get processed quicker but also sometimes get stuck in a pile. No idea what goes on behind those doors.
Overall, the shipping speed from ordering to customs arrival was good — like a week — but honestly this two-week hold is nerve-wracking. I'm a first-time international buyer so I'm freaking out, but from what I've gathered, it's pretty normal. As long as it doesn't get a "Seized" scan, it should eventually clear. The key is to wait it out and not do anything stupid like contacting customs to ask about it. Just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else is staring at the same tracking screen. Has anyone had a package stuck at ISC NY for longer than two weeks and still get through?