Even movie stars get stuck in shipping limbo. Kevin Bacon, who posts on Instagram as @kevinbacon, is working in Ireland and wanted his favorite old clothes with him. So he shipped a box of boots, jeans and hats he has owned since the 1990s from upstate New York. What happened next was a tour of Europe and the Middle East that the box took without him, including three separate trips to Israel.
“Hey everybody, it’s me,” he begins, explaining that he is working in Ireland and wanted to pack light, so he decided to ship some old clothes over instead. “I’ve had these clothes probably since the 90s,” he says. He used a shipping service he chose not to name.
Then he walks through the tracking history, and it is a wild ride. The box left upstate New York and went straight to Memphis. From Memphis it went to France, and then on to Germany. Then, he says, “They shipped it straight to Israel, not Ireland. Israel,” arriving there on October 3.
It did not stay long. On October 4, the box went back to France. On October 5, it went back to Israel. From Israel it went to Germany, and on October 6, he says, it “went back to Israel, not to Ireland. Back to Israel.”
On October 10, his box of old clothes made it to France again. On October 11 it arrived in England, which he calls “pretty close,” and the same day it finally left the UK and came to Ireland.
That should have been the happy ending. Instead, he says the box has been “sitting for five days” in Ireland, and the shipper says it is unable to deliver it. “I don’t understand why it’s just sitting there,” he says. “I can’t get a person on the phone. I have not been able to talk to anybody.”
He knows what some people are thinking. “I know what you’re thinking, just go buy some more clothes, and you’re right. I could buy some clothes, but I want these clothes,” he says. “I’ve had them since the 90s. These are like… they have a certain sentimental value. Old boots, old jeans, old hats.”
He ends with a plea anyone who has ever stared at a frozen tracking page will recognize. “Any suggestions? Am I ever gonna see this stuff? It’s starting to get cold here.” His caption sums it up in four words: “Where are my clothes.”
Why Sentimental Clothes Are Worth the Fuss
It is easy to laugh at a famous actor fretting over old jeans, but most of us understand exactly how he feels. A broken-in pair of boots, a hat that has been to every family reunion or a jacket that still smells faintly of a favorite place cannot simply be replaced at the mall. Clothing we have worn for decades carries memories, and well-made older pieces often fit and feel better than anything new.
That is also why shipping them can be nerve-racking. Once a box leaves your hands, you are trusting a long chain of trucks, planes, warehouses and customs offices to get it where it needs to go.
Tips for Shipping Belongings Overseas
If you are sending a box to family abroad, mailing things ahead of a long trip or helping a grandchild who is studying overseas, a little preparation can keep your package from going on its own unplanned vacation.
Fill out customs forms carefully. International packages need a customs declaration listing the contents and their value. Be specific, such as “used men’s jeans, worn” rather than just “clothes.” Vague or incomplete forms are a common reason packages get held.
Double-check the address and country. Make sure the country, postal code and phone number on the label are correct and match. Ireland uses a postal code system called Eircode, and including it can help.
Include a local phone number. Carriers often need to contact the recipient about delivery or customs. A reachable number in the destination country can prevent a package from sitting unclaimed.
Expect duties and taxes. Shipments from the United States into Ireland and other European Union countries can be charged import VAT and sometimes customs duty, and the package may be held until those charges are paid. Ask the carrier how charges will be collected before you ship.
Buy insurance for anything that matters. Basic carrier coverage is often limited. Extra protection is worth it for valuable or irreplaceable items, and keep photos of what you packed.
Keep a list inside the box. Tuck a copy of the contents list and both addresses inside the package, so it can still be identified if the outside label is damaged.
What to Do When Your Package Is Stuck
Save your tracking number and records. Screenshot the tracking history as it updates, especially odd routing or “unable to deliver” notices.
Try every contact route. If the phone line is a dead end, try the carrier’s online chat, email form and official social media accounts, which sometimes respond faster. Ask specifically why delivery failed and what is needed to release it.
Contact the local depot or customs office. A package marked undeliverable after arriving in a country is sometimes waiting on customs paperwork, payment of charges or an address correction. The destination country’s local branch or customs service may be able to tell you more than the main help line.
File a trace or claim. Most carriers let the sender open a formal investigation, often called a trace, for packages that are delayed or lost. If the box is truly lost, an insurance claim may be possible.
Be persistent and polite. Keep notes of every call, the date and the name of anyone you speak with.
As for Kevin Bacon, his old boots, jeans and hats are finally in the right country. Now he just needs someone to put them on his doorstep before the Irish weather turns any colder.
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