United States case kit
For when the free letter has not worked: everything you need to follow up, escalate and use the official route, in one place. Templates and information, not legal advice.
You may not need this. For a single USPS $9.35 fee, the free letter is usually enough. Buy the kit only if the amount at stake is clearly larger than its price.
What is inside
- Evidence checklist. What to gather before you write or call, so the first reply can be a decision.
- Follow-up letter. For when the carrier or seller has not answered your first (free) letter.
- Escalation letter. A formal complaint asking for a final answer, naming the official route you will use next.
- Official form walkthroughs. Which form or route applies, when, where to file and the deadline, with the official link.
- Deadline calendar. Every legal clock for the country, and how to turn them into calendar reminders on your device.
- Phone script. What to say, what to ask for, and what to write down during the call.
Routes covered
- IEEPA tariff refund: UPS (ups.com)
- IEEPA tariff refund: FedEx portal (ieepa-refunds.fedex.com)
- IEEPA tariff refund: DHL (dhl.com)
- IEEPA refunds for importers of record (CAPE) · form CAPE declaration (cbp.gov)
- CBP protest · form CBP Form 19 (protest) · 180 days from liquidation (cbp.gov)
- Seizure petition · 30 days from the notice (ecfr.gov)
- Carrier billing dispute (dhl.com)
Get the kit
Not on sale yet. These templates are waiting for review by a qualified lawyer. Checkout opens after that review.
Not legal advice
Parcelsline is not a law firm, carrier, customs authority or broker. You adapt and send everything yourself. Nothing in the kit guarantees a refund.
Free preview: evidence checklist
- The carrier notice or invoice (screenshot or photo), including any entry or reference number
- Order confirmation showing the price paid, shipping charged and the seller
- Proof of payment (card or wallet statement line)
- Where the goods were made (product page, label or "made in" marking)
- Tracking history screenshots from the carrier's official site, with dates
- Any CBP notice (detention, seizure, request for information) and the date you received it
- For IEEPA refunds: proof you paid duties before 24 Feb 2026 and who you paid
Deadlines in the calendar
- Unentered goods move to a general order (GO) warehouse after 15 calendar days (ecfr.gov)
- Goods in GO become unclaimed/abandoned after 6 months (ecfr.gov)
- CBP decides to release or detain, and sends notice, within 5 business days (ecfr.gov)
- No final admissibility decision means deemed excluded (protestable) after 30 calendar days (ecfr.gov)
- Petition against a seizure is generally due within 30 calendar days (ecfr.gov)
- CBP protest due within 180 calendar days (cbp.gov)
You can already add these to your calendar for free from the decoder.
Fees it helps with (examples)
- USPS customs clearance and delivery fee: $9.35 per dutiable inbound item (competitive price). Not charged on inbound letters/flats from 12 Jul 2026. Not refundable by USPS even if CBP later refunds duty. (about.usps.com)
- UPS disbursement fee: 2.5% of duties and taxes advanced, minimum $17.50. Brokerage entry fees extra. (ups.com)