What a seizure notice actually says

Customs outcomes are not predictable at the level of an individual parcel. What is predictable is that consistent, accurate declarations correlate with fewer interventions, and that the same route behaves differently in different months.

I disagree with the reply above, and I think the disagreement is substantive rather than terminological.

The distinction being drawn does not survive when you look at the published data for this specific question. I would be glad to be shown wrong on this, because the version I am arguing against is more convenient.

Picking up post #21: that is the part I would want checked first.

Customs holds: if a parcel is held at customs and you can contact customs directly, declaring your personal use and providing documentation (order, labelling) can help. Most customs officials are reasonable when they know what they are dealing with.

Documentation after arrival: photograph the parcel and its contents on arrival. If something later turns out wrong (damage, loss, wrong item) you have evidence of the condition it arrived in.

Tracking stops updating: tracking last updated days ago usually means the package is in transit and will not update until it reaches the next scanning point. No update for weeks means it might be stuck.