Everyone dreads customs delays, but unfortunately, you will always encounter them at some point as an AliExpress user.
After seeing “Imports Customs Clearance Delay,” it’s not uncommon to see, “We’re inspecting your order.”
Let’s get into the finer details.
What Does, “We’re Inspecting Your Order” Mean On AliExpress?
This tracking status means that the customs office in your country needs some more time to look into your item before deciding on whether to allow it in your country or not.
It usually takes less than a week for the package to start moving again. Also note that the “Red X” near Customs Update” as seen in the screenshot below doesn’t mean there is a problem with your item’s clearance.
Reasons Why AliExpress Says, “Customs Update: We’re Inspecting Your Order”
There is VAT To Be Paid
Depending on the value of goods you are buying on AliExpress may or may not collect VAT.
If yours are pricy items and depending on your country, AliExpress might decide that you will directly deal with customs instead of receiving the VAT and remitting it to your government.
In that case for items whose VAT hasn’t been paid, customs has to look deeper into how much VAT you as the recipient has to pay.
If there is VAT to be paid, the customs office will normally contact you to provide accompanying documents such as your bank statement to necessitate you paying VAT and any other tax as applicable.
You Ordered Multiple Items
If you ordered multiple items, it could be that one of those need closer inspection.
In that case, you will have to be more patient when looking into each item separately might take longer than expected.
Suspected Counterfeit Item
Customs offices will never knowingly allow counterfeit items into the country.
If the type of item you ordered had instances of being counterfeit in the recent past, customs might decide to look deeper and see if what you ordered is compliant.
The Customs Office Is Backed Up
Sometimes, customs offices get backed up and instead of leaving the tracking status to show that items were handed over to them for clearance, they use “We’re inspecting your order” to make recipients stay calm.
This is especially true during the holiday season, and such delays spanning over a week are common among Canada customs offices.
What To Do When The Tracking Status Is Stuck On, “We’re Inspecting Your Order?”
Use Third-Party Websites To Re-track Your Package
Sometimes, AliExpress doesn’t update tracking statuses in real-time.
Whenever you face a delay while awaiting your online purchase, we usually recommend using free third-party sites such as 17Track and ParcelsApp to re-track your item and see its right position.
These tools are more accurate as they are integrated to receive updates in real-time whenever a package moves.
If you see that it has moved and it’s no longer with customs, you might decide to be a little patient as you keep checking for its movement.
If the tracking status on those websites shows that the items is lying in the customs office, look at the next step below.
Let The Seller Know
AliExpress will most likely not help you address delays in deliveries as you are not contracted to them.
If you paid for your VAT while buying your item and your item wasn’t counterfeit, let the seller know that your item is delayed at the customs office in your country.
That way, they will push AliExpress to expedite the process by contacting customs to look at your item.