Step-by-step guide on how to handle prohibited items found in your shipment.
When you are notified that your package has a prohibited item, here are the steps to follow:
Check the seller's return policy for what you had purchased. The majority of the purchases that we get are coming from Amazon, and they have a very friendly return policy.
Go to the order that you did for the prohibited item and click return.
It is going to present you with several options, like drop off at Whole Foods, drop off at UPS store, or pickup from the warehouse at a fee.
Select UPS drop off only, and never select Whole Foods drop off.
Select the option that gives you the option to print the return label.
Save that return label as a PDF and send it to us directly via WhatsApp or email as an attachment.
To avoid this hassle in the first place, review the prohibited goods list before shopping, or use our assisted shopping program where we verify compliance before buying.
Once we receive it, we are going to print the return label and return your item to the seller.
As soon as the package is given to UPS, Amazon is going to process your refund, and you should see your refund back to the card within three to five business days.
Every day, we receive dozens of prohibited items that cannot be shipped by air. Unfortunately, most people are not familiar with the prohibited goods list, and they are not aware that whatever they bought cannot be shipped by air until we notify them.
For example, we receive a lot of power banks, jump starters, and other types of batteries that cannot be shipped by air.
Unfortunately, some sellers only have a very small return window, and if that window elapses, they are not going to accept returns.
We inspect every package, hunting down prohibited goods, dangerous goods, counterfeits, drugs, and other contraband.
About a week ago, somebody came and dropped off a package in the warehouse.
Most purchases we receive come from Amazon, which has a friendly return policy. Follow the return steps outlined above to get your refund within 3-5 business days.
They lied to us that it did not have any batteries or anything prohibited, although they did not want us to open it.
Whenever we see someone who is not comfortable opening their boxes, we prioritize that box and make sure everything is inspected and in compliance because more than likely, they are trying to hide something😂.
We opened the box and the first thing we found were two power banks and two drones, both of which cannot be shipped to Kenya.
Underneath that were three 1-kilo gold bullion worth hundreds of dollars.
Yikes! This is money laundering or an FBI decoy?
Bullions and any form of currency cannot be shipped as cargo and must be remitted through the right channel and declared to the federal authorities.
We called back the guy, and the guy insisted that he wanted to talk to the owner of the company so that they could do "a lot of business together."
As soon as UPS receives the package, Amazon processes your refund within 3-5 business days. For future purchases, use our assisted shopping to avoid buying prohibited items in the first place.
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Get Started FreeWe do not compromise regardless of how much you think that business is worth, because goods that can be shipped or not shipped are regulated by the government, and going against that is breaking the law.
To avoid all this headache, kindly familiarize yourself with goods that cannot be shipped by air or even by ocean from the US to Kenya.
It takes only about 15 minutes to skim through and understand things that cannot be shipped, especially by air cargo.
If you're not familiar with prohibited goods or if you do not want to take chances, you can use our assisted shopping program. We are always here to answer your questions that you may have before you ship anything from the US to Kenya.
The most common include power banks, jump starters, drones, aerosols, batteries, counterfeit products, drugs, and undeclared precious metals or currency. These cannot be shipped by air due to safety and regulatory restrictions.
Log into your Amazon account, click on the order, and request a return. Choose UPS drop-off as your return method. Download the PDF return label, then send it to Kentex Cargo via WhatsApp. We handle the rest and ensure Amazon receives the return.
Yes, as long as the return is done within the seller’s return window. Amazon usually processes refunds within 3 to 5 business days once UPS receives the returned item.
Review the full prohibited goods list before your next purchase. For compliant items, compare our air shipping and ocean shipping rates.
Get your free US shipping address and start shipping to Kenya today.
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