Problems with movies stuck in customs

[Wheels]

Hey all,

I've recently bought a bunch of movies from Nova Media but they are being held in US customs and I've been told I need to get a letter of authorization from blu-ray and DTS in order for customs to release the movies. I've contacted Nova Media but they don't seem to have the appropriate paperwork. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and if so how did you deal with it? If I can't provide US customs with the paperwork they need they say everything will be destroyed as if it's counterfeit merchandise. Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks pyschos,

Greg

[extantsrevenge]

Hi @Wheels I moved the topic here, since it is not a Release topic. I'm not in the US so I don't know much about US customs. Maybe some US members can help.

[Wheels]

Thanks for helping me get this in the right place. I'm hoping some US members have some answers... 

[Masterblaster]

I will try to address this problem of yours @Wheels. 

 

First if you could give me a list of what is in he box that would help me to decide where the problem might actually lye.  

 

When purchasing from abroad you as the importer are responsible for your merchandise and making sure it is legit.  Just because it is sold online from a reputable Retailer does not mean it is licensed for outside of that country .  

 

What exactly did Nova tell you ?  Letting me know this will also help me to decide if your request might have been misinterpreted .   Remember alot of these Retailers are not really English fleuent and use Translations online to get the "meaning" of your satement. 

 

I cannot imagine Nova telling you tht they do not have the needed paperwork to show tht it is not a counterfeit .

 

Remember also that it could become a cost scenerio where in the end it might be just "cheaper" to let them be destroyed .

 

Take care

John

 

[deckard99]

I’m really shocked to hear this. I live in the USA and have ordered from Nova many times with zero problems. I second the advice from @Masterblaster above. Try Nova again and expain in detail the problem including copies of what you got from customs.

[capricornio34232]

Last year I ordered multiple movies from a retailer in China including 7 titles from MantaLab, 1 title from JSVD, 1 title from Plain Archive & 2 Titles from KimchiDVD and customs (CBP) requested evidence that the retailer have evidence that the DVDs in question were made by an authorized licensee of DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation. I only got support from MantaLab with the requested information (most of the items were Blu-rays without DVD but they took the package as a unit), at the end they supposedly destroyed the package, I never got the movies and I lost more than $1,000 USD. After few emails they stopped responding and never heard back from Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C. the company dealing with CBP and trying to solve the issue.  Good luck...

[Wheels]

@Masterblaster Hi John. Thanks for taking the time to assist on this matter. The list is quite extensive and not cheap which is why I'm freaking out about this. The order was (2) The Last Witch Hunter, (2) Mechanic: Resurrection, (2) Valerian Double Pack, (1) Nightcrawler 1/4 Slip, (1) Nightcrawler Full Slip, (1) Nightcrawler Lenticular Slip, (2) The Grey Boxset, (2) Reservoir Dogs Box Set, (2) Pulp Fiction Box Set and lastly (4) Taken Boxset.

 

I do understand that I'm the importer but I just figured a company as large and well known as Nova Media would have all their bases covered on this matter.

 

Nova said they didn't have the specific document but gave me their business license which they said in Korea gives them the rights to sell these movies as well as use the copyrighted names listed. They also gave me a copy of the studio permission to use and sell the Valerian movie across all formats. Lastly they gave me a notarized letter stating their products are not counterfeit and that their product is licensed for distribution by INFO BOOK (licensee for South Korea region) and packaged/distributed by Novamedia. They tried everything they could but unfortunately none of it was successful. The woman who I was dealing with tried submitting everything I was sent but customs was very intent on only accepting the letters of authorization from both Blu-Ray and DTS in order to uphold their copyright. She said those letters are commonly known things in the industry if you are selling products with those copyrighted names.

 

As of 9/13 this is the last message I received about this shipment. "

Greg,

Per U.S. Customs, NOVA MEDIA is not Licensed, shipment will be abandon for destruction by U.S. Customs. "

Looks like at this point I just have to try and get a refund or another shipment from Novamedia unless I can get customs the documentation they require within the next week. The woman I was dealing with said they only give you about 10 days to provide the documentation but they are so backlogged that it may take weeks for them to actually get around to destroying the package.

One thing I was told that kind of makes sense is that they only inspect about 100 of every 1,000 packages and unfortunately mine was chosen as one of the 100 and with President Trump getting so strict on Chinese imports they are checking more and more packages from Asia.

Sorry for this long message but I wanted to include everything I know to this point.

Thanks again for responding and any help you may be able to provide to make sure this doesn't happen in the future

Greg

[Wheels]

@deckard99 Thanks for the advice. I figured they have never had this problem either which is why I thought it so odd. I just replied to John going over the who conversation that I went through with Nova and customs. They tried everything they could but it just didn't work out. From now on I'm only having stuff shipped to me when I'm out of the country so I don't have to deal with this hassle.

Thanks for the reply though.

Greg

[Wheels]

@capricornio34232 Sorry to hear you had this hassle too. Mine was a very large order as well and the one thing I'm counting on is that I can contact my credit card company and have the charges reversed if Nova isn't willing to do it on their own or reship the order. I hope your luck has changed at least with ordering these premiums. I've had great luck with KimchiDVD so am hoping this is an isolated incident.

[deckard99]

2 hours ago, Wheels said:

@Masterblaster Hi John. Thanks for taking the time to assist on this matter. The list is quite extensive and not cheap which is why I'm freaking out about this. The order was (2) The Last Witch Hunter, (2) Mechanic: Resurrection, (2) Valerian Double Pack, (1) Nightcrawler 1/4 Slip, (1) Nightcrawler Full Slip, (1) Nightcrawler Lenticular Slip, (2) The Grey Boxset, (2) Reservoir Dogs Box Set, (2) Pulp Fiction Box Set and lastly (4) Taken Boxset.

 

 

@Wheels  Damn! I'm guessing your shipment was flagged by customs since it was so large. I've never ordered more than 3 individuals editions at a time. In the future you might have better luck if you keep your order sizes smaller. Hope it works out. 

[Wheels]

@deckard99 Yeah I thought that might have had something to do with it too. Fingers crossed I can get some resolution to it.

[HeightOfFolly]

@Wheels Sorry to hear about your troubles with customs. Who would have thought a package with movies would be such a big deal? Were you able to get any of your stuff?

[Wheels]

@HeightOfFolly Yeah I thought the same thing but I understand now they're just looking after trademarks. Unfortunately I never did get the movies and was told the whole package was scheduled to be destroyed. I'm in the process of trying to get my money back from novamedia but they say they won't give a refund until they get the movies back so not sure how this is going to work out. I fear I'll have to go through my credit card company to get the refund. It was a bit over $1,800 so it wasn't chump change. 

[Veum]

Sorry to hear this happened to you all @Wheels @capricornio34232 & bumping this olde post.

 

Were you all able to get your monies back? 🧐 🙏

 

Your thread struck a nerve w/me b/c I’m in the same situation w/my Blufans Spider Man Homecoming that is stuck in Chicago customs (going on a month and a half now 😔)

 

There is all kind of excuses being thrown out about mine, i.e. virus, weather... I’m just frustrated with it since it is the 1st time I’ve had to deal with this long of a delay (any of my other packages that went through customs here in the 🇺🇸 went through within 2 wks., that is why I do not get why they have not released it by now 😠).

 

 OVER!

[Masterblaster]

32 minutes ago, Veum said:

Sorry to hear this happened to you all @Wheels @capricornio34232 & bumping this olde post.

 

Were you all able to get your monies back? 🧐 🙏

 

Your thread struck a nerve w/me b/c I’m in the same situation w/my Blufans Spider Man Homecoming that is stuck in Chicago customs (going on a month and a half now 😔)

 

There is all kind of excuses being thrown out about mine, i.e. virus, weather... I’m just frustrated with it since it is the 1st time I’ve had to deal with this long of a delay (any of my other packages that went through customs here in the 🇺🇸 went through within 2 wks., that is why I do not get why they have not released it by now 😠).

 

 OVER!

@Veum You have alot to learn about importing and while you are on that Journey ALOT of many many different things will happen , many are just not explainable and dont have any real "reason".  It is what it is and if you dont or cant wrap your head around that then collecting internationally is not for you !

 

I get offended when you say "excuses" being thrown out about yours .  I am one of those who have relayed these "excuses" to you and if you think they are "excuses" again you are in the wrong place.  You need to stick with National releases where things are more managable.   It does not matter how long one package or other packages have taken to go through the process of our customs, it is always different timeframes and situations that come about which influence it.   Now i cant guarantee that you will get it but i can guarantee that the problems you are experiencing here at home are the SAME EXACT problems ALOT of others (me included) are experiencing.  Heck the international community has to go through this sort of thing ALMOST EVERY time they receive something .

 

As i said also in my message to you , continue to collect internationally and this will NOT remain your 1st experience.  

 

Go take a breather and calm down some , patience is the virtue here ... IF for some reason it is "lost"  you are in good hands and being that the Retailer is Blufans i doubt you will have any serious monetary loss .  Nothing to do BUT wait.  

 

Take care

John

 

ps.  and if you are still wondering , we have no electricity or water still ..... so responses from me are limited and wide apart !

[Veum]

Spoiler

47 minutes ago, Masterblaster said:

@Veum You have alot to learn about importing and while you are on that Journey ALOT of many many different things will happen , many are just not explainable and dont have any real "reason".  It is what it is and if you dont or cant wrap your head around that then collecting internationally is not for you !

 

I get offended when you say "excuses" being thrown out about yours .  I am one of those who have relayed these "excuses" to you and if you think they are "excuses" again you are in the wrong place.  You need to stick with National releases where things are more managable.   It does not matter how long one package or other packages have taken to go through the process of our customs, it is always different timeframes and situations that come about which influence it.   Now i cant guarantee that you will get it but i can guarantee that the problems you are experiencing here at home are the SAME EXACT problems ALOT of others (me included) are experiencing.  Heck the international community has to go through this sort of thing ALMOST EVERY time they receive something .

 

As i said also in my message to you , continue to collect internationally and this will NOT remain your 1st experience.  

 

Go take a breather and calm down some , patience is the virtue here ... IF for some reason it is "lost"  you are in good hands and being that the Retailer is Blufans i doubt you will have any serious monetary loss .  Nothing to do BUT wait.  

 

Take care

John

 

ps.  and if you are still wondering , we have no electricity or water still ..... so responses from me are limited and wide apart !

 

 

@Masterblaster I know everything you have said, however I’m just venting and was hoping for a faster solution, that’s all (surely you have to have compassion toward those that have had this happen to them, especially for the 1st time, as it is a shock to us at 1st., and since we were getting everything sent through before)...

 

I enjoy everything I’ve received internationally, so I’ll still collect from there thank you!

 

BTW, I did not mean to “offend” anyone as it was not directed to ANYONE!!

 

I hope you get your electricity and water back real soon! 🙏

 

P.S. John you have to know I’ve got patience b/c of the DRACULA edition we both ordered (remember I introduced you to it!), that is not due for us until FALL ‘21 (a yr. after we ordered)! 🙄

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Veum

[Wheels]

Hello @Veum

 

So sorry to hear you're having this problem. As @Masterblastersaid it is one of the unfortunate issues we face when buying international items. In my case I never did receive the steelbooks I purchased but I was able to file a dispute with my credit card company and get my money back. I've since bought from Nova on many occasions and haven't faced this issue again. I do feel for you though as I'm in a similar boat with The Matrix UHD Club boxsets which I've been waiting for for over 6 months now. All we can do is just wait and trust that the process will work it out in the end. Fingers crossed you get your package soon though. 

 

John @Masterblaster So sorry you're still without water or electricity. I can't even imagine how tough things have been for you. Sending prayers and good vibes your way buddy and if there's anything I can do to help please don't hesitate to reach out. 

[capricornio34232]

4 hours ago, Veum said:

Sorry to hear this happened to you all @Wheels @capricornio34232 & bumping this olde post.

 

Were you all able to get your monies back? 🧐 🙏

 

Your thread struck a nerve w/me b/c I’m in the same situation w/my Blufans Spider Man Homecoming that is stuck in Chicago customs (going on a month and a half now 😔)

 

There is all kind of excuses being thrown out about mine, i.e. virus, weather... I’m just frustrated with it since it is the 1st time I’ve had to deal with this long of a delay (any of my other packages that went through customs here in the 🇺🇸 went through within 2 wks., that is why I do not get why they have not released it by now 😠).

 

At that time (2018), so far my only issue through the years ordering from overseas I never recovered the package nor the movies. Because I paid with credit card my bank gave me back the money. As I explained in my previous communication on the issue the only company that sent me the documents that I needed but the USA legal company that was taking care of the case never responded to ensues and phone calls after I submitted all the information that they requested. I assume that they destroy the package, but who knows. I’ve been lucky as I ordered a lot from different companies from Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, etc. without any issues other than this incident. Sorry to hear that, but to be honest based on my experience you can get all the documents as requested but the local government entities will not process it accordingly.  Good luck!

[Veum]

Psychos, I have wonderful news as my Spider-Man Homecoming has finally arrived at it’s perfect home from that dastardly customs hehe “Do I still have faith” 😝 

 

🥤☕ Mail Call today! 🤠 🎬 😇 😷

 

 

🎞

 

Just arrived from our Mail lady a long-time surprise w/this beauty... “my faith is restored” 😂 , hey! 🙂

 

 

 

MP

 Spider-Man: Homecoming (Blufans Exclusive #56) (WEA 4K UHD/3D/2D Blu-ray Steelbook) [China]