US Customs Export Control Says: I’m Screwed

May 07th, 2021 | Category: Business | Author: Steve

Update: It looks like this problem may have been resolved by USPS, with international shipments sent May 11 or later proceeding normally. But there’s still confusion about the source of the problem, the date it was resolved, and whether it’s truly fixed. It appears it’s necessary to buy new postage to reship any returned packages – reshipping using the original postage label reportedly does not work. Unfortunately, all requests for postage refunds have been denied so far.

Help! This is very bad. Since sometime about April 26, nearly every international shipment I’ve sent has been returned by US Export Control, for unknown reasons. The packages come back with an export compliance sticker that says something is “missing”, but doesn’t explain further. I discussed the problem with the staff at my local post office, but they couldn’t explain it either, and said the customs information on the package looked OK to them. They also said that when an outbound package is rejected by US Export Control, there’s basically no recourse: the customs inspectors don’t respond to calls or emails about specific packages. In the staff’s words, “You just have to guess”.

All of the packages were shipped by US Postal Service’s First Class Package International service. I’ve not recently changed anything about the packages, their contents, the address labels, or the customs information printed on the label. I’ve previously shipped thousands of substantially identical packages internationally without incident. But not anymore.

TL;DR – I am completely unable to ship any international packages, and I don’t know why, or who to ask for help. The shipments never get out of the USA.

To put it mildly, this is bad.

The specific package shown in the photo contained a ROM SIMM and an empty plastic case for one of my electronics products. But most of the rejected packages contained a BMOW Floppy Emu – a disk drive emulator for retro Apple computers.

None of the returned packages had been opened, so there was never any time that an export compliance person looked at the contents inside the package, looked at the item description on the label, and decided whether they matched. The decision to return the package was 100 percent based on the information printed on the label, perhaps combined with information submitted electronically when the postage was purchased. But nobody at the post office seems able explain anything more than that.

There are some clues. Here’s a list of every international shipment I made between April 19 and May 6.

Date	Destination	Tracking	Contents	Status
4/19/21	Canada	LW227139012US	Emu Bundle, ROM-inator	delivered
4/19/21	Bulgaria	UC009977527US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
4/19/21	Canada	LW227139026US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/19/21	Germany	LW227139349US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/19/21	Netherlands	LW227139352US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/19/21	Italy	UC009977717US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
4/19/21	Switzerland	UC009977725US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/19/21	Germany	LW227139882US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/19/21	Austria	UC009977734US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
4/19/21	Canada	LW227140038US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/21/21	Japan	LW227159119US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/21/21	Italy	UC009981138US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/21/21	Italy	UC009981141US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/21/21	Belgium	LW227159502US	Emu Bundle, ROM-inator	delivered
4/21/21	Netherlands	W227159516US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/21/21	UK	LW227159935US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/21/21	Switzerland	UC009981257US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/21/21	Finland	UC009981265US	Emu Bundle	in transit, outside USA
4/23/21	Japan	LW227178166US	Emu Bundle, ROM-inator	delivered
4/23/21	Canada	LW227178705US	Emu Bundle, ROM-inator, ADB cable	delivered
4/23/21	Australia	LW227178719US	ROM-inator	delivered
4/23/21	Canada	LW227178722US	Emu Bundle, SD card	delivered
4/26/21	Canada	LW227199020US	Emu Bundle, Noisy Disk	in transit, outside USA
4/26/21	Australia	LW227199033US	Emu Bundle	delivered
4/26/21	Canada	LW227199603US	Emu Case, ROM-inator	returned to sender
4/26/21	Italy	UC009987745US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
4/28/21	Canada	LW227224665US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
4/30/21	UK	LW227242788US	Emu Case, Wombat Case	returned to sender
4/30/21	Sweden	UC009995619US	Noisy Disk, Daisy Chainer	in transit, outside USA
4/30/21	Italy	UC009995640US	Noisy Disk	in transit, in USA
5/3/21	UK	LW227275605US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/3/21	Canada	LW227275619US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/3/21	Australia	LW227275622US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/3/21	Czech Rep.	UC010000416US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
5/3/21	Mexico	UC010000420US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/3/21	Belgium	LW227276035US	Emu Model C, ROM-inator	returned to sender
5/3/21	Germany	LW227276044US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/3/21	Germany	LW227276486US	Emu Bundle, SD card, ROM-inator	returned to sender
5/5/21	Canada	LW227298552US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/5/21	UK	LW227298566US	Daisy Chainer	in transit, outside USA
5/5/21	Netherlands	LW227298570US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/5/21	UK	LW227299116US	ROM-inator	in transit, outside USA
5/5/21	Australia	LW227299120US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/5/21	France	LW227299133US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/5/21	Switzerland	UC010004885US	Emu Bundle	returned to sender
5/6/21	Ireland	UC010007326US	Emu Bundle	in transit, in USA
5/6/21	Canada	LW227312529US	Emu Bundle, ROM-inator	returned to sender

Almost all of the packages shipped prior to April 26 have been delivered, or have at least made it outside the US. The three from before the 26th that show “in transit, in USA” are misleading because they all have tracking numbers starting with the letters UC, which indicates a destination country where tracking normally isn’t available beyond the US border.

But almost every package shipped After April 26 is either still stuck in the US, or has been returned.

Something changed within a few days around or after April 26. The date of change was probably May 1 – roughly when packages shipped April 26 would arrive for customs processing. A new customs inspector employee? New inspection procedures or policies? New export control laws? Or maybe something changed with Shippo, the service that I use to print the address and customs labels?

Notice that the return label says more information is available at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/ if you click on “Export Issues” under Consumer Help. But that section and that heading do not exist. I couldn’t find anything on that site to help explain what’s going on. Edit: see this 2018 archive.org backup of the uspis web site.

With no information and apparently no recourse, I’m starting to panic a little. For the time being I’ll have to disable all ordering for customers outside the USA, which is a large fraction of the total for BMOW. And I’ll have to contact all the customers whose shipments have already been impacted, or who’ve ordered and paid but whose packages haven’t yet shipped, and try to determine what’s the next step.

If you know anyone who works in any type of export manager capacity, who might be able to advise or consult with me on this, that would be fantastic. Or if you know anybody affiliated with the postal inspection service who might have insight into what’s going on, that would be great too. I’ll take all the help I can get to resolve this crisis.

Read 202 comments and join the conversation

202 Comments so far

Chase Doyel - May 12th, 2021 2:49 pm

Hi Steve, I do think the information is a little confusing. Sounds like it’s an internal USPS problem, but then makes a comment about not enough information on the label, and then it’s a bug?

I’m at the point that I’m looking for any excuse to open back up our international shipping. May not be the complete solution we were all looking for, but it’s enough for me to continue selling international, now with even more detailed descriptions of the contents. Fingers crossed things return to normal. Only time will tell.
Amy - May 12th, 2021 4:34 pm

Maybe this is what they mean – due to a bug in the USPS system, it left out / didn’t successfully enter certain required information as it scans the label, not because the info wasn’t on the label to begin with. That’s why it should be and has been resolved “on USPS’ end”.
Tim - May 12th, 2021 4:59 pm

I have been sending care packages to my son at Uni in New Zealand on a monthly basis with zero issues. Typically it’s things like a pair of shoes, a jacket and jeans, or during warmer months I’ll send him shorts & his sandals, etc. This month I sent a pair of new Nikes, two pairs of his jeans, some used books & one of his favorite flannel shirts. The only new thing was the jeans. I filled out the customs forms no different than any other time. But sure enough the package was returned today with the same sticker as pictured above and the “missing” box checked. Is it worth going into my local post office? My mail man said he’s all of a sudden regularly seeing these types of internation return to sender packages. He said he has no idea why. But it is definitely interesting that he is even noticing it. He said it was an occasional thing on his route. Like every couple weeks before. But now it’s multiple packages a day he’s seeing like this. FYI.. we’re in Portland, OR and it is also the San Fran Customs route this is happening through.
Katharine Hanson - May 12th, 2021 6:31 pm

Hi, I’m a USPS employee. We received several packages back with the exact same issue on Monday morning (I haven’t worked mornings since to know if there have been more.) We are just as clueless as you are but I know customers will be asking (one stopped in today) and so I am following so I know what to tell customers. (Isn’t that sad? Wish I knew something.)

The only common denominator I noticed is that they were processed online, not through a post office, so there was no handwritten customs form with a handwritten signature; I haven’t seen any processed by us get returned. But I also know people have been doing these online for a long time with no issue, so there shouldn’t be this much of an issue.
Mike Cadoo - May 12th, 2021 6:41 pm

That’s a great theory Katharine, especially due to the photo above but all of our returned parcels have had handwritten signatures and dates.
Ciaran - May 12th, 2021 6:48 pm

My guess would be that something is getting lost in some computer system that forwards the label info from USPS to the Customs Inspectors
Chase Doyel - May 12th, 2021 6:52 pm

I’m no lawyer, but doesn’t this seem like a class action lawsuit situation? Who’s going to be held responsible for this, especially if we have to pay for new labels, not to mention the lost sales from cutting off international orders… Seems like USPS has a big problem on their hands
Tim - May 12th, 2021 7:06 pm

Thank you Katharine. That’s a good point regarding online origination. I created my shipment online as well. However I didn’t do anything different than all previous times and I always have my son ask the post office staff to confirm that all looks good when he drops it off. I have ALS so it is difficult for me to go into the actual post office, but I can if needed. Is this something I can either get a refund for, or will I be able to have a new label made at the post office for no additional charge? It was an $89.00 cost the first time around and I would like to avoid having to pay for it again…. especially if unsure whether it will go through. Thanks to everyone for sharing. It is super helpful to see others experience and ideas. PS- My mailman is a rock star & the folks at my local post office are really great whenever I’ve dealt with them.
Katharine Hanson - May 12th, 2021 7:12 pm

Hi Tim, we have no way of giving you a refund or creating a new label. However, you definitely shouldn’t have to pay to ship it again if it was a USPS issue. I am hoping that, as someone said above, it was an issue with our system that has been resolved, and that you can just put your package back in the mail as-is and it goes through. Maybe just remove the sticker and send it off again. It shouldn’t hurt anything to try. I’ll be watching here for updates to see if that has worked for anyone.
Steve - May 12th, 2021 7:24 pm

My bet is with Ciaran – I suspect what’s “missing” is some piece of digital data that was supposed to get transmitted when you buy the postage, rather than anything actually printed on the label.

I’m not sure about re-shipping a returned package by just putting it back into the outgoing mail. I tried that last Friday with one of my returned packages, following the suggestion of my local post office staff. But the tracking info still just shows that it was delivered (returned to me) on May 7, with nothing more since then. I hope it shows up again somewhere.
TJ - May 12th, 2021 7:51 pm

Not a helpful contribution necessarily, but just had the same issue sending pottery from US to Canada (no issues prior, same value, details, customs info, etc) both shipped around May 5 out of Portland OR and rejected by ICS San Francisco.

The only additional info my export compliance label had was the number 26 written in sharpie (different pen than used to mark “missing”).

I’m not sure if this number has anything to do with the reason, I couldn’t find any information about it. As others have noted the web address on the compliance label goes to nowhere.

That could have been a shorthand by a postal worker when sorting the day’s delivery and have nothing to do with the customs but maybe its a clue that someone smarter than me can dissect…

ps: Steve, filled out your survey!
Mike - May 12th, 2021 8:26 pm

I resent two of my packages yesterday with the original labels and just hand-wrote some extra content details. This is the tracking history for one of them w/zip code removed. Both packages have a note about being in transit to the destination, but also have another ‘return to sender’ comment. I tend to not trust the tracking notes, but hope it actually left the US as the latest one seems to indicate.

May 12, 2021, 3:07 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item departed our USPS facility in SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER on
May 12, 2021 at 3:07 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

May 12, 2021, 8:46 am
Return to Sender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128

May 12, 2021, 4:29 am
Customs Clearance
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

May 8, 2021, 7:38 am
Arrived at Post Office
SAN JOSE, CA

May 7, 2021
In Transit to Next Facility

May 5, 2021, 4:21 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 5, 2021, 3:06 am
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
SAN JOSE, CA
Mike - May 12th, 2021 8:28 pm

My other package shows two return to senders, but that could just be an oddity in the system. Both packages were delivered back to me on the 10th and shipped back out on the 11th.

May 12, 2021, 3:07 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item departed our USPS facility in SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER on
May 12, 2021 at 3:07 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

May 12, 2021, 8:46 am
Return to Sender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128

May 10, 2021, 6:51 am
Arrived at Post Office
SAN JOSE, CA 95125

May 8, 2021, 8:43 am
Return to Sender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128

May 7, 2021
In Transit to Next Facility

May 4, 2021, 6:17 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 4, 2021, 6:17 am
Customs Clearance
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

May 4, 2021, 5:02 am
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
SAN JOSE, CA 95126

May 4, 2021
Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS
John - May 12th, 2021 8:58 pm

I sent a flat rate Priority Mail International envelope on April 27, 2021. It got held up at customs for 11 days then returned to sender. Just got the mail today May 12, 2021. It says “Returned Due To Export Compliance Missing”. Purchased postage through usps.com Click-N-Ship.

May 12, 2021, 3:46 pm
Delivered, Left with Individual
SAN JOSE, CA 95148
Your item was delivered to an individual at the address at 3:46 pm on May 12, 2021 in SAN JOSE, CA 95148.

May 12, 2021, 6:45 am
Arrived at Post Office
SAN JOSE, CA 95121

May 12, 2021, 6:21 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
SAN JOSE, CA 95121

May 12, 2021, 6:04 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN JOSE CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 12, 2021, 4:02 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN JOSE CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 12, 2021, 2:57 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 11, 2021, 2:37 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 10, 2021, 10:09 pm
Return to Sender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128

April 29, 2021, 9:18 am
Customs Clearance
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

April 28, 2021
Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS, USPS Awaiting Item
Steve A - May 13th, 2021 6:39 am

Same issue here with international shipments to Canada and Europe. All labels bought on USPS.com, not on Shippo. All were rejected at the SF processing center and marked “missing” but giving no indication of what was missing. Very frustrating and expensive.
Steve A - May 13th, 2021 6:43 am

Mike, looks to me like your re-sent packages are being returned to you again, but hope I’m wrong. Could you update us on what happens, I’ve got a stack of these things I have to get delivered to paying customers. Thanks
Steve - May 13th, 2021 7:06 am

Is everybody seeing San Francisco IDC as the location where their packages were flagged for return? Or has anyone seen a different city’s international distribution center also do this? I wonder if it’s a problem specific to SF’s center. All of my packages went through the SF center and were marked for return there. It looks like there are also IDCs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and New York.
Charlotte (Not May) - May 13th, 2021 8:05 am

I am here because of the reason of all those posting. I too have the parcels returned from San Francisco. I too have received the information that there is no information from USPS, ShipStation, and Stamps.com (Endicia)… I too am very grateful for this post to at least know that I am not alone in this…

P.S. just wondering if the May family has an unusual amount of online entrepreneurs ?? Almost every other comment toward the end of these is a May. Steve May, Steve A. May, John May, Tim May, TJ May, Mike May, Amy May, Brett May, Ciaran May… You could say… A MAY zing!! 🙂
Chase Doyel - May 13th, 2021 8:16 am

Small side note, all our international orders (50+) processed after 5/7 have made it through customs in San Fran. Each order was scanned 7-9 times in San Fran before they cleared. I think there was a week long issue with the San Fran distribution center, but maybe its been sorted?

Now the issue is what to do with (150+) orders that were returned us? Reship with same label? We shipped about 30 of these and so far with the same label they’re not showing any signs movement. Not sure I want to push out another group unless I know this is working.
Chase Doyel - May 13th, 2021 8:18 am

Also, May is the month not last name 🙂
Charlotte (Not May) - May 13th, 2021 8:19 am

HAHAHAHAHAHA I am such a dork. 😀
Adam - May 13th, 2021 8:35 am

I asked in the USPS employees section of Reddit and got this reply

https://www.reddit.com/r/USPS/comments/nbj5lr/can_anyone_explain_why_these_packages_were_sent/
Colin - May 13th, 2021 9:34 am

Spoke to Shippo support live chat just to see if they had any updates, and got a response similar to Chase’s e-mail (USPS bug, fixed now, chasing up refunds). They also noted that they’d flagged my tracking number for review with USPS/refund, so it sounds like they may not actively be searching for packages that were hit, so if anyone hasn’t already pinged support you might want to do so to make sure they know you were hit by this problem.
Chris Torrence - May 13th, 2021 9:34 am

Same problem here with one of our shipments of a computer game to Spain. We’ve sent out hundreds of packages with the exact same labels & HS tariff number, with a detailed description. We ship through PirateShip. The returned package went thru that IDC center in SF.

I’m really curious if you can just reprint the labels and reuse them. Has anyone had success yet?
Cherie - May 13th, 2021 9:35 am

I got 10 packages back. I use shippo. Some going to Canada and the UK. I ship dog chew toys and dog tugs. I was told by my local post office to sign with a wet signature and resend. I have never had to put a tariff number and that has never been a problem. I am so screwed.
Sam - May 13th, 2021 9:47 am

Does anyone know if this is just a USPS facility thing? If we ship via FEDEX or UPS we shouldn’t have any problems right?
Steve - May 13th, 2021 11:51 am

I just received a similar email from Shippo: “It looks like this may have been a bug on USPS’s side of things. We are working with engineering and USPS to dispute the charges on any failed labels. We’ll update you as soon as we have more information. We are treating this as a high priority!”

Yes it seems to be just a USPS thing, and FedEx / UPS are unaffected.
Alexander Gee - May 13th, 2021 12:33 pm

Seems like this issue deserves some attention. Someone here must know a journalist who would like an easy story?
Brett - May 13th, 2021 1:27 pm

Refund of returned label via Shippo refused by USPS.

As posited earlier, I suspect it has to do with a glitch in the USPS’s “Global Shipping Service Software”. From the USPS site(https://bit.ly/33Go7Lt):

“123.32 Required Electronic Transmission of Customs Declaration Information
For an item bearing a privately printed customs form under 123.31, a mailer must electronically transmit customs declaration information by using USPS-produced Global Shipping Software (GSS), Shipping Services File 1.7 or higher, or other USPS-approved software. Failure to provide electronically transmitted customs declaration information before tendering the mailing may result in refusal at acceptance, delay in processing, and/or return of mail to the sender.”
Steve - May 13th, 2021 1:36 pm

That explanation sounds pretty plausible to me. But whose screw-up is this? It’s not just affecting Shippo – lots of web-based postage services including Pirate Ship and USPS themselves are having the same problem. For people who bought postage through USPS Click n Ship, who else can they possibly blame?

Assuming this explanation is correct, then it probably means attempting to re-ship the package using the original postage label will not work.
Ciaran - May 13th, 2021 1:36 pm

Is anyone who’s resubmitted with the same label able to get tracking info?
The PO counter staff told me it would have the same tracking number, and I watched them scan it to accept it, but online it still just shows “delivered” (back to me)
Steve - May 13th, 2021 1:38 pm

Ciaran- I have the exact same experience with my resubmitted package. It’s disappeared into a black hole. Tracking info shows nothing beyond the original return to sender.
Santi - May 13th, 2021 4:48 pm

Thanks Ciaran and Steve,

I can confirm that according to our records (we have used shipstation and USPS Click-n-Ship) the glitch happened for any package of ours that reached the ISC SAN FRANCISCO from April 30th to May 7th (after that the same type of package, without any change on our part started going through)

I really look forward to further news about resubmitting the package with the same label, it does seem like the best solution if successful, as you may know, inquires into refunds with USPS are quite a nightmare…
TJ - May 13th, 2021 9:08 pm

Wanted to provide an update today…. Shippo confirmed the USPS bug causing the issue and then later in the day replied again saying that USPS claims it is resolved and should not be a problem. However they said they DO NOT recommend sending the package out with the same label but will require a new label. They are chasing refunds as others have said, but if you have not alerted them that your package was affected I recommend reaching out!

I’m going to wait a day or two before I try again just in case…

Good luck to everyone!
Mike - May 14th, 2021 7:09 am

So, it looks like my two ‘resent’ packages are being returned. So, my recommendation is unfortunately new labels for myself and everyone else. These were first class priority international (which I use on a regular basis). I’m frustrated as heck and will probably have to eat the shipping cost on these for now. I’ve held up all other international shipments for the time being and will have to find a way to go back on usps for this. It’s $40 in shipping, and my time is much better spent doing other things than arguing with them, but I do not believe I am responsible for this issue.

May 14, 2021, 4:02 am
Arrived at Post Office
SAN JOSE, CA 95125
Your item arrived at the Post Office at 4:02 am on May 14, 2021 in SAN JOSE, CA 95125.

May 14, 2021, 3:34 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
SAN JOSE, CA 95125

May 13, 2021
In Transit to Next Facility

May 12, 2021, 11:43 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN JOSE CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 12, 2021, 9:14 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 12, 2021, 8:46 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 12, 2021, 8:46 am
Return to Sender
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128

May 12, 2021, 4:29 am
Customs Clearance
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)
Doug - May 14th, 2021 7:12 am

I used USPS click and ship to ship a 10lb box to Italy to my daughter. It shipped on 4/28 and I got it back on 5/10 with the same sticker as everyone else. Mine was stopped in San Fran like everyone else too. I have shipped multiple times to her over the last couple years with no issue here in the US…all the issues seem to have been with the Italian Post which is another whole mess of crud I (and she) have had to deal with. I’ve tried DHL several months ago thinking they could more easily get things through Italian customs, but they were completely incompetent too. I mean, we can buzz a helicopter around Mars but we can’t come up with a easy and reliable way to ship internationally?!

I have processed another click and ship, but may hold off for a day or two before I send. Anyone have a link to where I can claim the $87 in postage for my first returned attempt?
Steve - May 14th, 2021 8:24 am

I would suggest waiting a while before requesting any USPS postage refunds. Right now the only evidence we seem to have that this is USPS’s fault is private emails from Shippo support to a couple of their customers. I haven’t seen anything about it from other postage providers, or any public statements from USPS or anyone else. I like Shippo but I’ve seen them be completely wrong multiple times before about important postage issues, and point blame elsewhere for a few days before eventually admitting it was their fault. So while they’re probably right about this, I’m not convinced the mystery is completely solved yet.
Tim - May 14th, 2021 8:29 am

This is not a Shippo issue. Too many of us are dealing with the exact same problem and don’t use Shippo at all. I went direct with USPS and sent exactly the same as I have for the last couple years.
Steve - May 14th, 2021 8:38 am

I agree it’s not a Shippo-specific issue, but for me that doesn’t yet prove it’s a USPS issue. For example, it could be something where US Export Control changed their electronic data submission requirements, and several different postage providers handled the change incorrectly, including USPS’s own Click n Ship. It’s just a theory, but if that were true, then only the people who shipped through Click n Ship would have grounds to seek a refund from USPS.
Lotte - May 14th, 2021 8:36 am

We use Shipstation and Stamps.com (Endicia). We had never heard of Shippo until this thread.

When we contacted Shipstation, they had not heard of this issue at all. They told us to reach out to Stamps.com. Today, Stamps.com told us it was ShipStation’s problem and to reach out to them.

Clearly there are too many of us experiencing the exact same issue. We seem to all have different shipping platforms/postage sources.

The only consistent in this is USPS and the San Francisco International distribution center.
Brett - May 14th, 2021 8:40 am

Steve I have to disagree – put in for the refund now and challenge the rejection. As you yourself stated earlier:

“It’s not just affecting Shippo – lots of web-based postage services including Pirate Ship and USPS themselves are having the same problem. For people who bought postage through USPS Click n Ship, who else can they possibly blame?”

This is clearly an issue with the USPS’ customs clearing center in SF. And the USPS’ issue to make good for its affected customers.

I’m beginning to think the suggestions to call the news media and your congressional reps are our best options, in addition to pursuing refunds via your shipping service vendors, are our best bets. There could be literally thousands of affected people and businesses, and millions of dollars in dispute, even if the glitch only lasted a couple of weeks.
Steve - May 14th, 2021 8:43 am

Brett you are probably right. I’m still going to hold off for a little while longer, but that’s just me. I agree some media attention on this issue would be welcome.
Doug - May 14th, 2021 8:48 am

It appears refund requests for international shipments have to be done in person at a Post Office. I’ll head down there on Monday when I drop off the “re-shipment” and see what hoops I have to jump through.
Mike - May 14th, 2021 8:49 am

Someone who has a major stake in this should alert a news station/newspaper or something like 7 on your side. https://abc7news.com/business/contact-7-on-your-side/47207/
John - May 14th, 2021 9:45 am

I had two packages returned “due to Export Compliance” Both said something was “missing” without saying WHAT was missing. One package was intended for India, the other for Germany. I didn’t do anything different on the Customs Declarations than I’d ever done before and never had this problem before. Postal charges on one were $81.50, on the other $105.15 I asked the Post Office in person and by phone, but got no help whatsoever. I wasted 40 minutes on the phone trying to resolve this.
Cody Burch - May 14th, 2021 10:04 am

I am glad I found this post.

We are having the same issue. we have been shipping internationally using usps since 1993. We have 22 packages coming back for the same thing, labels just say “missing”. Local post office was no help, usps custom service was no help. We are at a loss.
John - May 14th, 2021 1:14 pm

I tried to get refunds for both packages and was denied.
Mike Cadoo - May 14th, 2021 1:19 pm

Same issue here. refunds for the labels have been denied.
Brett - May 14th, 2021 1:27 pm

Shippo is collecting claims from customers who experienced this issue and is appealing the refund denials with USPS. If you have had an arbitrary return of an international USPS shipment in the past 30 days and were denied a refund of the label then contact them at the link on their Customer Service/FAQ page and explain the shipments were through the USPS’ San Francisco ISC, include tracking #s, label pdfs, and returned package via attachment to your message.

I believe I have a second package in clearing limbo for 34 days now, shipped with a Paypal label. Anyone dealing with Paypal on this?
Tim - May 14th, 2021 1:31 pm

$90.00 loss for me for 1 package. It’s a bummer but for me most of all I just eant to be able to reliably send my son packages in NZ. I guess I’ll go with another channel than USPS. I feel really bad for the folks that have had a large quantity of packages returned. If there needs to be a class action or anything to make this right I am happy to support such an effort.
Cody Burch - May 14th, 2021 1:36 pm

just a quick update.

Another 4 packages returned today. Brings the total up to 26 returned packages, and 26 pissed off customers who want their product.

Still no answer from anyone from USPS. Our local post master said they did a big update about a month and a half ago on their programs. Wonder if this has anything to do with it?

We were instructed not to ship anything until we hear back.

No word if we can reuse the labels already printed, or if new ones will have to be made. We were also told we may not be getting refunds if we have to make new labels. We are out over $1,000 if this is true.
Stephan - May 14th, 2021 1:48 pm

I sent a package to Japan on May 7, same thing, it came back yesterday, rejected at SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER. “Returned due to export compliance missing”, I was just shipping some gifts, no commercial stuff.

I went to two postal offices, they were clueless. Tried to call USPS and gave up…

I am going to wait a week and watch the posts here. If that doesn’t clear up, then I am using UPS or DHL. Why is there nothing about this on the official USPS website????

Thank you for this blog!!!!
Laurel - May 14th, 2021 2:08 pm

I’m also having this same issue and this blog has been a life saver! Thank you to all that have done the hard work of calling and inquiring, it sucks that it hasn’t gotten too far! I saw the comments here saying Shippo said that the glitch is fixed with USPS so I went ahead and shipped two new international orders today to test it. I will come back here and let you all know if they don’t get rejected and if the bug is indeed fixed. Also for reference, I sell vintage clothing on Etsy which generates its own labels through USPS and also Depop which goes through PayPal. I’ve had only three packages returned to me that went to San Francisco ISC, I am SO sorry for all that are out much more than that. I’ll update what happens here!
Mike Farrace - May 14th, 2021 2:11 pm

Same thing happened to me today. I purchased a shipping label on PayPal on May 6. Package was returned today with the “missing” export compliance sticker with no explanation. The package and contents were virtually identical to hundreds of shipments just like it over many years.

I explored the uspis.gov site they recommend but the headings and links it refers to don’t exist. It’s mainly to report criminal behavior.

US Customs Export Control Says: I’m Screwed

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