FedEx Blocking Personal Shipment And Charging Unfair Customs Fees

I purchased small items for personal use from Alibaba overseas. After paying the shipping cost, the seller clearly stated that once the package arrived in Turkey, I would only need to pay customs tax to receive it. After a long journey, my items reached the FedEx temporary storage facility at Istanbul Airport, but the process has completely stalled there.

I only received one email from FedEx, implying that my items were considered commercial rather than personal, and mentioning warehouse and storage fees. For 12 days, I received no further updates. When I reviewed the email again, I realized that my shipment was being held on behalf of customs, that storage fees were increasing daily, and that if it exceeded 20 days, the goods could be liquidated—meaning confiscated. This is unacceptable, especially since I already paid for both the products and shipping.

When I contacted FedEx, I received an automated response treating my shipment as a commercial import requiring a customs broker, even though my items are strictly for personal use. When I called FedEx, the representative was extremely rude and dismissive, telling me, “you can’t receive it, either return it or leave it at customs,” and then hung up on me. If I return it, I lose my shipping cost; if I leave it, I effectively lose my goods. Facing such treatment in my own country for a simple personal shipment has been very frustrating.

My tracking numbers are 296037918501024212 and 870158223930. I request that my shipment be evaluated as a personal import, that I be allowed to receive it by paying only the legal customs tax without being forced into additional warehouse, storage, or brokerage fees, and that an investigation be conducted into the rude behavior of the employee I spoke with.