Graduate student Nicole Lobo moved back to the US in late August after a year in the UK, shipping 10 boxes of possessions back home to Philadelphia that she expected to arrive within a few days.
Six weeks later, she is still waiting for the shipment - and fears it is lost, destroyed by UPS as the company struggles to handle a flood of packages facing new customs and tariff rules.
It's been horrific, says the 28-year-old, who was notified last month that her boxes would be disposed of, leaving her to make frantic phone calls and send emails to try to head off the outcome.
It's an ordeal facing many UPS customers since the Trump administration in late August stopped allowing parcels worth less than $800 to enter the US without inspection, taxes or tariffs.
The decision abruptly made an estimated 4 million packages each day subject to new, more onerous processing and documentation rules.
As the influx leads to longer processing times and higher, sometimes unexpected, costs across the industry, some customers of UPS like Nicole, say they fear their packages have been lost in the backlog.
It's beyond comprehension to me, says Janani Mohan, a 29-year-old engineer living in Michigan, who has also spent hours on hold and sent repeated emails since a tracking alert listed a box sent by her parents in India as set for disposal.
The parcel held her wedding dress, which had also been worn by her mother, an heirloom sari from her grandmother and wedding photos, among other items.
Oregon-based Mizuba Tea Co, which has used UPS for more than a decade to import matcha from Japan, has five shipments together worth more than $100,000 held up in processing.
Importers typically have 10 days after goods enter the US to submit documentation about the goods, pay tariffs and other fees, allowing the package to go to its recipient.
But the Trump administration's rapid changes to tariff rules have made it increasingly difficult to meet customs deadlines requirements, say shipping companies like FedEx and UPS.
While acknowledging longer shipping times, UPS stated it was still successfully clearing more than 90% of international packages within a day of arrival. However, many, like Nicole and Janani, reported receiving little to no communication before their packages were marked for disposal.
Businesses face real costs as well. Swedish candy exporter Swedish Candy Land reported that over 700 packages sent to US customers have been held up, costing the business roughly $50,000 in refunds.
As this chaos continues, challenges in the shipping and customs environment remain a pressing issue for individuals and businesses reliant on timely deliveries of both sentiment and commerce.
