Plant Order Got Stuck In Customs!

Bmeasure

Bmeasure

Humble disciple of Jesus Christ
Aug 6, 2004
379
0
0
49
Savannah, GA.
Visit site
I ordered some plants on Aquabid.com and found some great prices on 4 different auctions from the same vendor in Singapore (Aquaspot_World). I ordereed Express Air which they suggested so I would get the plants in 2-4 days. To make a long, irritating story short, let's just say that he promised to ship two different dates, but lied and shipped later. Finally I get a tracking number and watch as my plant order (92 plants) gets "held in customs at destination". Finally today (3 weeks from when I paid) I receive the box, which is EMPTY, except for the seller's invoice and a notice from customs that the plants were thrown away due to the "material is prohibited and not authorized entry".

Now how have other people ordered and received shipments from this guy, while mine is stuck in customs? Do you have to get import permits to order plants outside the country? Why did other people receive their orders? And why wouldn't he warn me if I do need permits? If we are not required permits, what could have happened to get them stuck in customs? Rotting?

Any input would be great! Just to let you all know, DO NOT ORDER PLANTS FROM THIS VENDOR. Even before the plants were stuck in customs, he was a jerk and would not give me a break on the expensive express air shipping I paid for even though he shipped more than a week later than originally promised. I was using these plants in a clients tank I am setting up. It's tough to tell them you will be adding plants on a certain date, then I call the seller on that date and he "forgot" to notify me that they have been busy and would ship them the following week (which again, he lied and shipped after that!). He was rude, unprofessional, and now he won't even respond to emails. He hasn't responded to any emails after the plants were stuck in customs! I've filed claims with Aquabid.com and Paypal.com to see if that will motivate some action on his part. :fairy:
 
maybe customs decided to take the whole war on terror thing to new heights when they found out that terrorists were using aquatic plants in a plot to destroy american ecosystems.

seriously though, that's a tough situation. seems like it'll be hard to get your money back considering the guy did send them. it's not exactly his fault customs took the stuff (unless he packed a bunch of drugs or guns in there for some reason).

I've found shipping from any country but canada to be a big headache and I avoid it if at all possible.
 
You probably just got a custom agent that thought the plants were something else. I would contact customs and ask for a report on why they got rid of the plants. I think they have to by law give you the report that was filled out.
 
AquaSpot World ships their plants, as does AquaMagic, marked as "collectibles", not plants. Most likely someone in customs did a random check and they got busted.

I've ordered plants from both vendors in Singapore and that's what the box was marked as. Not legal.

Roan
 
Thanks Roan Art! That gives me additional ammo to get my money back. The fact is that the guy Ben Tam was a complete jerk to me through email. I was very upset and would have never ordered from them again BEFORE the customs problem. So as i see it, I was completely unsatisfied with the entire transaction from start to finish. They were VERY late getting shipped even when I paid extra to expedite it, then he was a complete jerk in the email to me when I complained about the delay (I was polite but wanted a shipping charge break), then it gets stuck in customs, and NOW I find out he's doing business under false pretenses and I have no plants because he didn't want to disclose to customs or let me know that he or I would need a permit or something to get them into the US. That is lame and unprofessional, and since they are doing shady business, they need to be taken out of business!

Because I'm so late getting plants I had to pay extra to go with a full price vendor "Arizona Aquatic Gardens". I don't have time to go for better deals on Aquabid trying to accumulate all the plants I need now. I had to go for a large order through AAG to get it this Friday. At least they seem very professional and will ship overnight! I think that I too will not order foreign anymore.
 
Here is a post I found on APC about the same thing your dealing with.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...er-investigation-2.html?highlight=confiscated

I hate to burst the bubble, but NONE of these Singapore or Malaysia guys on Aquabid or elsewhere provide phytosanitary certificates. Not one single one of them. Even those that are very well known to people here. I will not name names, but I got burned trying to buy from these guys and having the USDA confiscate the plants, and I know someone in Hawaii that had the same problem. And, to be honest, I pointed out this problem to Mark the owner of Aquabid 2 years ago and he could care less.

It is easier to sneak plants thru customs in small packages, but in larger boxes it is much more likely to be caught. Federal Express told me the USDA is flagging all shipments coming from anwhere in Asia, particularly Singapore and Thailand.

If you doubt me, consider this. A phytosanitary certificate in Singapore costs $35 american. That is $35 per shipment, whether its $2 worth of plants or 200 dollars. Do you think some aquabid seller is going to absorb that cost without charging you? Then there is a fumigation certificate that costs around $75. There are various transport charges the seller in Singapore has to pay to get these certificates.

Most hobbyists on the internet I do not believe care whether they are buying plants legally or illegally. I have often read posts from people giving tips on how to ship plants so they will not be inspected or confiscated.
 
I believe what you are saying, but that still doesn't make the practice ethical, honorable, legal, or even professional (unless you are a professional criminal). If they don't mind sending things packaged illegally, then at least give the buyer the option to choose. I probably wouldn't have paid it, but at least I would have been able to say "no thanks" and look elsewhere!

The simple solution to stop this in the future is that I simply NEVER ORDER oversees again! I'll annie up the extra dough and get it done the right way. I like to do things appropriately and honestly the first time. I've found it to be better in the long run in all parts of life. Thanks for all the imput. BUYER BEWARE OF OVERSEES ORDERS!!!
 
So sorry to hear about what you had to deal with!!
I've never ordered plants from overseas, only my hundred and one bettas LoL and never had a problem with getting them in the country safely. It's probably because they ship it through a transhipper who deals with customs, but I also believe they are marked correctly...not like your ordeal.
I don't think I will consider buying plants in large quantity from them now that you have brought some light on the matter.
I've ordered over 100 bettas on aquabid all from bankok, thailand, singapore and many other places in that same facinity, so i think it's safe to say you should be okay ordering live fish, but beware of plants.
So sorry again for you :(
 
We have had some trouble internally with some of our orders.
First off, we ship with all the necessary papers and documents, including phytosanitary certifications.

We have already settled all our issues with our trans-shipper in USA as well as internally. Operations are back to normal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom