How long does it take for packages to go through customs?

Question

I am currently living in Germany. I ordered an Ipod on ebay from a reputable user who had a rating of over 8000. She said she mailed it June 5 and showed me a copy of a scanned mailing receipt as well as the customs form.

It's now going on 3 weeks. How long does it take for merchandise to go through customs and red tape before I get it? I'm getting kind of irritated, especially due to the fact that should I not get it, it might be too late to call my credit card company and do a chargeback!

I guess the question is, if I am in Germany and order something small from the USA, when should I realistically expect to get it?

Answer 1

It really depends on the postal service you are using. If she got a tracking number you can see where it is with that. If not, you are just going to have to wait and see. I ordered something that took a few weeks to arrive, and I have ordered other things that only took one week. You also have to think about the possibility of it having been stolen. I would contact the shipping company if you are able to.