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What Does Processed Through ISC New York Mean on USPS Tracking?

Nov 21, 2020

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I recently bought a new pair of shoes online, and I noticed on the tracking information that it said processed through ISC New York. But, I didn’t know what it meant, so I researched into it and thought I’d put together this helpful article to explain what it means.

So, what does processed through ISC New York mean on USPS Tracking? It means that your package is at the International Service Center (ISC) in New York. Once your package has left there, the status will get updated to a different message. The ISC checks packages that are being sent overseas and are arriving from overseas.

When your package is being checked at the ISC in New York, USPS has no control over the package. The ISC acts like border patrol, but for packages, so until it is let through by the ISC in New York, USPS can’t help. There’s a bit more to it so, read where I will explain how it all works.

How long will my package have the message ‘processed through ISC New York’ for?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know how long a package will take to process through the ISC in New York. Some people that receive packages regularly have reported that it can take 3 to 5 days, whereas others have stated that packages have stayed there for as long as one month.

What to do if your package says ‘processed through ISC New York’?

When your package says ‘processed through ISC New York’ but it’s taking longer than usual, you want to get in touch with USPS by calling or emailing them. According to their website, the best way to contact them is on this page here, which gives you the different options for getting in touch.

When you do a Google search for ‘processed through ISC in New York’ the Office of the Inspector General for the USPS website comes up.

But, they don’t have any jurisdiction or information about your package, and they advised customers who contacted them through that website to contact USPS customer service.

There can be a few factors that can cause your package to be delayed when it reaches the ISC in New York or any ISC. Although USPS strives to provide excellent service, there are certain times when delays can be expected.

These factors are:

How many packages the ISC has to check
If your package gets flagged for some reason

1. How many packages the ISC has to check

During busy times of the year, such as Christmas, it can take longer for your package to clear through the ISC in New York. Many people send gifts to family and friends via the post, and the volume of packages they have to sort goes up.

Other events, such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, meant a lot more people bought products online. Shopify recently reported that the number of online sales doubled during the initial two to three-month lockdown in the beginning of 2020.

But, the ISC in New York only handles packages that are coming into the USA from other countries, and also packages and mail that are being sent outside the USA.

2. If your package gets flagged for some reason

Your package may have been flagged because it looked suspicious or is coming from a country that is on a shortlist. There is no information about the criteria the ISC uses to flag a package and what countries are checked more thoroughly because of safety risks.

Also, if a package is delayed, people have commented online that the complaints procedure and being able to check why it’s delayed is very slow, and the Office of the Inspector General doesn’t respond.

But, USPS has reported that the 5 ISC’s in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco have received a Certificate of Excellence award from the International Post Corporation (IPC).

How will I know when my package has cleared ISC in New York?

The status of your package will get updated automatically once it has cleared the ISC in New York. You can sign up for email notifications using USPS Informed Delivery. It’s a free service USPS offers, and you can sign up for it by clicking here.

Otherwise, you can check the status of your package at any time using the tracking number using the USPS website. You can access that feature by clicking here.

When your package is received from overseas, it gets sent to a USPS sorting facility, where it will get scanned. Once it’s scanned in, the status will update. The new status is typically updated to say ‘acceptance of your package is pending’.

I recently wrote an article about what this new status means and the timeline for how your package will get delivered. You can read it by clicking What Does It Mean When the USPS Says the Acceptance of Your Package Is Pending? link to read the article.

Simply put, your package is typically in a container or bag with other packages. The container or bag has a barcode that is scanned when it arrives at the USPS processing facility.

So, this status code means that the container or bag has arrived at the USPS facility, but your individual package hasn’t been scanned in yet.

A package that you sent outside the US

When you’re sending outside the US, once it clears the ISC in New York, USPS will update the tracking number accordingly.

This will either be that the package is on the plane or boat. Or that it has arrived at the next airport or sea port. It’ll then get updated as it makes its way to the mail processing facility in the destination country.

Why do packages go through the ISC in New York?

The ISC is the International Service Center, which checks over mail to make sure that it doesn’t contain anything illegal. Packages are scanned through an x-ray, and specially trained ‘sniffer dogs’ smell the packages to identify illegal substances such as narcotics.

Here’s a cool video about how the process works:

Criminals will hide illegal substances in packages, so police officers and staff at the airport search the packages that look suspicious carefully and then use testing machines to check whether they contain illegal substances.

Others may send large sums of cash, which is not allowed in most countries. And the x-ray machines can see where people have attempted to hide something in the package. From there, they will confiscate it and take legal action.

Each country has a screening process for packages, and most countries also look for plants and food. Because they can contain invasive species of bugs, when bugs get into a country, they can cause a lot of damage or certain species of termites.

In New Zealand, for example, a possum species from Australia got into New Zealand, where it eats a lot of the native trees to the point where the trees die. Also, New Zealand has no deadly insects or predator animals. So, they are very strict about checking what comes in and out of the country.

The ISC searches both packages that come into the country and are leaving the country. And there are 5 of them situated at major airports around the USA.

How will I know when my package will get delivered?

You can check the expected delivery date on the USPS tracking page. This will give you a good estimate for when USPS expects your package to arrive at its destination or get delivered to you.

The final stage of delivery is out for delivery, which is when your package on the delivery truck that drives around and delivers packages individually. When the status of your package is updated to ‘out for delivery’ it will be delivered that day.

So, you should make sure that you are home if you need to sign for it, or someone is there to receive the package from the courier driver. If they are unable to deliver it, they will put the package back on the truck and attempt to redeliver a few more times.

Whether you’re sending your package overseas to a customer, friend, or family member, or, you’re having something sent to you, you can check when it will be delivered using the USPS tracking page link above.

After you make a purchase online, the company that you bought the product from will send you a tracking number to your email. They will also normally have an expected shipping date on their website.

On Amazon, they almost always have how long a product will take to get delivered on the page for the product. And definitely when you check out the item and pay for it.

What if my package is at the ISC New York for a long time?

Normally a package won’t stay at the ISC in New York for very long. It’s impossible to know how long it will take to get processed by customs. And you should use the estimated delivery date as a guide.

If your package has the status of ‘ processed through ISC New York’ and it’s past the estimated delivery date, then it means something has gone wrong. In which case, you’ll want to get in touch with the USPS customer support team, so that they can follow up on it, or advise you of what’s happened.

The status of your package will automatically get updated once it’s scanned into a new location. But, in rare cases, it could have been rejected by customs and will get sent back to the post office or the person who sent it. Also, when they scanned it in, a problem occurred on the system, and it didn’t update.

I’m a fan of receiving mail, even if delayed, but not lost or confiscated, of course. However, I am also a fan of sending packages. I say this because the majority of packages I’ve mailed are items that have sold online.

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Conclusion

Processed through ISC New York means that it is at the New York customs and is being checked by them. The ISC in New York and the other ISC’s around the USA check items to ensure nothing that is illegal is getting sent into or outside the USA.

When your package has this status, it’s best to wait, and once it has been processed, the status of your package will get updated automatically. You can check its status using the tracking number for the individual package. If it’s delayed past the estimated delivery date, it’s best to contact the USPS customer support team.