How long does processing take at the US Customs sorting center in San Francisco?

Answer 1

Usually 2 days to a week. Sometimes as quickly as 5 minutes. Anything longer and you may want to contact them in order to expedite the process. Delivery times can vary based on the the following.

Proximity to a major holiday

Incomplete invoice or packaging information on behalf of the sender

Duty to be collected

Package seized and opened for closer inspection

If there is a duty to be collected or a suspected copyright infringement etc., you should receive a letter in the mail explaining the necessary steps. Calling customs is a short cut to waiting the additional 3-15 days for this letter to arrive. I'd wait 5 full business days at least to contact them.

Customs clearing on a Saturday or a Sunday usually produces an extra day of delay.

If you see 'Customs Processing Complete' or 'Inbound Out of Customs' then you're golden ;) Also note that although a package sent to you will usually route to the nearest major customs port, it could end up arriving at any of the other major ports for seemingly no reason (the actual reason being to maximize packaging efficiency per flight into the country) - thus extending your wait time. Certain ports are a bit slower than others, but the 3-5 day average still applies.

Its a bad habit to automatically assume the worse and definitely something to shake early on if you plan to retail, wholesale and/or order online frequently. Don't lose any hair over it! If you need it now go to a brick and mortar location and pay the premium for THOSE guys to lose THEIR hair :) Paying extra for other types of shipping because you believe it will help you Dodge customs or force the item to arrive any sooner is a myth. DHL tends to process a little quicker because DHL inspects it before it even leaves the country of origin. They also hit the ground running and deliver extremely quick once out of customs. I've seen packages clear customs in San Francisco at 5:00 am and arrive at my doorstep by 4:00 p.m. 200 miles away! They have very receptive customer service agents with great follow up skills. But once customs flags your package - its does not matter at all how it was sent. Pay a thousand for overnight if you want - customs can completely squash that dream any time for any reason.

I retail for a living and have been receiving at least 13 packages a week for the last year or so with values upwards of $3,000 - all from other countries. About 1 in those 13 get held up for a week or 2. Mark up your goods accordingly to compensate for these delays / seizures and theres no need to sweat it.

On a final note its none of my business how you make your money or what you do with it - but if a package you are expecting (and are aware) is somehow questionable then simply dont follow up. Customs will either destroy the items or send them back to the seller. Possession is the crime - not being the recipient of a package you did not expect that was sent to the wrong address. In my experience smaller packages tend to get checked out more often than mid-sized boxes (say 12"x12"x12" <10Lbs) If you want to take up the fight go ahead - but be prepared to pay a $5,000 fine if you lose - lose your business license and face possible criminal charges if the items are especially illegal. If the shipment is $10,000 or more then this might be an option - but for a purchase that large it is better to fly to the country you plan to make your purchase - meet the vendors and discuss insurances and protection before any money is spent.