Over 800 holiday care packages for US troops sent back by USPS in ‘disgraceful’ move. Charity didn’t get single call about any issues. What now?

The packages were returned with the word "toiletries" circled in red ink on the customs form. No phone call. No detailed explanation. No chance to fix the problem before the holiday shipping window closed (1). Making matters more confusing: roughly 300 boxes with identical labeling made it to their destinations without issue (2).

"We've sent packages for a good ten years and never had issues," Kristen Gauvin, president of Boxes to Boots, told WTNH. "We did our due diligence with researching proper coding this year and hit a roadblock and weren't getting answers" (3).

The organization had already spent more than $10,000 in shipping costs.

A partial fix, but not a full resolution

After the story gained national attention and intervention from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), USPS reversed course. The postal service picked up the returned boxes with new customs declarations and agreed to resend them without charging additional postage (4).

"We wrote. We called. And we made an issue of it," Blumenthal told NBC Connecticut (5).

USPS acknowledged the issue but placed responsibility on the labeling. "The shipping forms were not filled out correctly in line with current regulations — lack of detail on what was being shipped in the packages — which led to this delay," a spokesperson said (6).

The packages are now expected to arrive in time for the holidays. But the situation isn't fully resolved: approximately 150 packages remain missing, and some boxes marked for the Connecticut National Guard are still awaiting shipment (7).

The rule change that caught everyone off guard

What happened to Boxes to Boots isn't an isolated incident. It reflects a broader shift in how USPS handles international shipments — including packages sent to military addresses overseas.

Operation Shoebox, a Florida-based nonprofit that also sends care packages to deployed troops, flagged this problem back in September. "USPS has begun strictly enforcing long-standing international customs rules on military and diplomatic mail," the organization wrote. "These rules were always on the books but buried in postal regulations, seldom enforced, and rarely communicated. Even postal officials could not clearly explain why shipments were suddenly being rejected" (8).

The trigger appears to be a September 1, 2025 rule change requiring all international commercial shipments to include a six-digit Harmonized System (HS) code on customs declarations (9). The HS code system, developed by the World Customs Organization, allows customs authorities worldwide to classify goods and assess tariffs.

The practical impact is significant: vague descriptions that worked for years no longer pass muster. According to USPS guidelines, customs forms now require descriptions that make clear "what the item is, what it's made of, and what its purpose is" (10). Writing "toiletries" or "gifts" isn't specific enough. You need to say "men's deodorant stick" or "chocolate chip cookies."

If your descriptions don't meet these standards, your package may be rejected, returned or even destroyed by customs officials in the destination country (11).

Here's where it gets confusing for people shipping to troops. APO, FPO and DPO addresses (the military postal designations) are treated as domestic addresses for postage pricing. A first-class stamp can get a letter to a service member anywhere in the world. But according to USPS guidelines, customs forms are still required for most packages sent to military addresses overseas (12).

So you pay domestic rates but face international paperwork requirements.

Legislation that could fix the problem

Blumenthal says the Boxes to Boots situation isn't an isolated incident. He's now aware of similar problems affecting individuals and groups across the country who've had care packages returned (13).

His proposed solution: legislation that would treat packages going to U.S. military stationed overseas as fully domestic mail, eliminating the customs form requirement entirely.

"There should be no additional burdens," Blumenthal said. "There's no excuse for what happened here to Boxes to Boots, and I'm hoping that their advocacy will have a national effect and solve this problem going forward" (14).

Operation Shoebox has also called for Congressional action and launched a petition urging lawmakers to clarify how military mail should be classified (15).

The legislation hasn't passed yet, which means the current rules remain in place for anyone shipping to troops this holiday season.

How to make sure your care package actually arrives

If you're sending a package to a service member overseas, here's how to avoid the fate that befell those 884 boxes:

Be ruthlessly specific on customs forms. Don't write "snacks" — write "salted peanuts, 8 oz bag" and "milk chocolate candy bar." Don't write "toiletries" — write "men's disposable razors, pack of 4" and "SPF 30 sunscreen lotion, 3 oz tube." Every item needs its own detailed description.