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Spanish goods arrived at port for over a month, no pick up, no payment
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I am the person in charge of a domestic importer. A batch of goods purchased from Spain arrived at the port over a month ago, but the customer has neither paid nor picked up the goods. Demurrage and storage fees are increasing every day, and contacting the other party always results in delays. What should I do now? Will I lose both money and goods?
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
According to customs regulations，if imported goods are not declared to customs within 3 months from the date of declaration of entry of the transport vehicle，customs has the right to sell them according to law. Your current time window of over a month is very tight. First，immediately notify the buyer in writing (email + formal letter) to pick up the goods and pay within a time limit，and clearly inform that overdue will be regarded as abandonment of ownership of the goods，reserving the right to pursue legal responsibility. Second，contact the customs broker as soon as possible to verify the status of the goods and confirm whether late declaration fees have been incurred. If the buyer continues to lose contact or explicitly abandons，you need to choose under customs supervision: 1) Return to Spain (requires cooperation from the original exporter)，2) Resell to a third party (requires handling return and re-import or bonded transit)，3) Abandon for customs auction. Regardless of the method，ensure that all written communication is retained，which is key evidence for subsequent legal rights protection. Special reminder: If payment involves a letter of credit，immediately check whether the document presentation meets requirements to avoid the risk of bank rejection.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
Immediately contact your freight forwarder to calculate the precise cost account: how much are detention and storage fees per day, and whether late declaration fees have been incurred. After a month, the cost may have exceeded 10-15% of the cargo value. In terms of timeline, you have at most 6-8 weeks of operation window. There are three stop-loss options now: First, forced return, requiring the Spanish shipper to cooperate in issuing a return declaration, taking about 3-4 weeks and costing about 2000-4000 US dollars; Second, resell to other domestic buyers, the fastest but requires cooperation of original import documents, and the new buyer needs to accept the current cargo right status; Third, the worst case is abandonment, but a "Declaration of Abandonment of Cargo Ownership" must be formally submitted to customs to avoid subsequent accountability. My suggestion is: advance simultaneously, pressure the original buyer while contacting the Spanish seller to discuss return, and look for potential resale targets at the same time. Take photos of the daily expense list and send them to the buyer to visualize the cost pressure.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
In this case, your communication strategy needs to switch from "negotiation" to "ultimatum" mode. Immediately send a rigorously worded email with the title "URGENT: Final Notice - Cargo Abandonment & Legal Consequences", listing in the body: arrival date, incurred fees breakdown, final deadline (suggest giving 7 days), and clearly stating that overdue will initiate return procedures and claim all losses. CC the other company's senior management and legal department. At the same time, find out through LinkedIn or industry channels whether the buyer is facing capital chain problems. If the buyer is deliberately delaying, this email will usually work; if the other party is indeed unable to pay, you need to make a quick decision: accept the loss and stop, or insist on legal proceedings. Remember, your goal is "minimizing loss" rather than "saving the order". Every day you delay now, your bargaining chips decrease a little. It is recommended to set a psychological stop-loss line, for example, when expenses reach 20% of the cargo value, decisively choose return or resale.