Hi everyone! I'm hoping someone here has experience with international shipping through FedEx because I'm honestly at a loss about what to do.
I recently sold my wedding dress through Stillwhite (a website where people can buy and sell pre-owned wedding dresses). I'm located in Canada, and the buyer is in the USA.
I went to a FedEx third-party shipping retailer to ship the dress. Everything seemed to go smoothly. We filled out the commercial invoice, the package was accepted, and I went on my merry way thinking everything was taken care of.
Fast forward three days, and my dress is STILL being held at a FedEx shipping facility near me. I received an email stating that there is a clearance delay and that additional information about the shipment is required. No big deal, I figured I'd just provide whatever documentation they needed.
I immediately called FedEx customer service. The agent told me that an email would be sent to me requesting additional information about the shipment, and that the buyer would receive an email requesting their Social Insurance Number and a DocuSign signature.
Something about this didn't sit right with me, so I went back to the third-party retailer where I originally shipped the dress. They were more concerned about the situation and advised me to go directly to a FedEx Ship Centre.
So I did.
At the FedEx Ship Centre, I was told that my dress should NEVER have been shipped in the first place because used clothing is NOT ALLOWED to be shipped through FedEx International Ground between Canada and the USA, and can ONLY be shipped through FedEx Express.
Their recommendation was to have the package immediately redirected back to my house and then reship it using Express.
WHAT?!
At this point, I'm completely confused. I decided to call FedEx one more time, just to see if I could get a different answer. The agent I spoke with told me that used clothing IS allowed to be shipped internationally through Ground, and that the shipment simply needs to go through customs clearance. They said that both the buyer and I would receive emails within 24 hours requesting whatever information is needed.
So now I have three different people telling me three different things.
The person at the FedEx Ship Centre (who I believe was speaking with someone at their distribution/head office) made it sound like this package would never clear customs. Meanwhile, customer service is telling me to just wait for the emails.
I've been reading Reddit posts for HOURS trying to figure out what happens in these situations, and I've seen so many different outcomes.
I'm worried about:
• My dress being stuck indefinitely.
• The package being returned to me.
• Having to pay additional shipping fees to resend it.
• The buyer getting frustrated or potentially opening a dispute because they haven't received their dress.
Has anyone from Canada shipped used clothing to the USA through FedEx International Ground? Did your package eventually clear customs?
Should I wait for the clearance emails, or should I try to have the package redirected back to me and reship it through Express?
Any advice or personal experiences would be SO appreciated. I'm honestly just trying to get this dress safely to its new owner without this turning into a complete nightmare.
Thank you!!