FREIGHT forwarding companies in hurricane-affected parishes in the western end of the island and Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) are reporting a steady flow of goods and, in some instances, record shipments, ahead of the Christmas season.

Gavin Lindsay, CEO of ipCourier, said shipping operations in western Jamaica — the section of the island hardest-hit by the Category 5 storm — recorded their highest Black Friday numbers to date, noting that customers appear to have returned to their regular buying habits.

Meanwhile, AirDrop Shipping, which operates locations in St James and Westmoreland, reported that, while shipments have not increased, volumes remain on par with last year. The company is also not experiencing any major delays in getting clients’ packages.

And, according to the JCA, while some of its locations in the western region have been affected, it has been operating and offering service to customers and is prepared to meet the seasonal demand. The agency noted that preliminary reports indicate that volumes are similar to last year, with a mixture of relief and Christmas goods coming into the island.

“The Jamaica Customs Agency is managing very well, as all categories of goods are being processed expeditiously once presented for Customs examination by the applicable agent. Some warehouses have extended their opening hours and are also operating on the weekend. Additional staff have also been assigned to key areas to boost the staff complement, as is customary at this time of the year,” the agency said in a written response to the Jamaica Observer.

But the cries of delays in clearing packages are all too familiar at this time of year. The JCA said delays often stem from factors outside the agency’s control, including late vessel or aircraft arrivals, the time it takes for ports and warehouses to strip and present containers, and situations in which agents submit incomplete or incorrect documentation.

The agency noted, however, that measures are in place to ensure that once goods are properly presented for processing, they are “processed in an efficient manner and, where there are documentary errors, the respective agents would have to correct said documents prior to Customs granting a release of the goods”.

Customers should not expect any delays due to Customs.

“The clearance times remain the same, and the public must ensure they present accurate declarations, provide their agent with all invoices, packing lists, and other documents required to facilitate clearance. They must also ensure that the person who is present to clear the goods is so authorised, if they are not the importer,” JCA told the Observer.

Ramiella Griffiths, customer service supervisor for AirDrop Shipping, said e-commerce is alive in the hurricane-affected parishes.

“The delays that we have are probably just [by] a few hours off. We still get items in and out on time; the only issue would probably be with space. The vehicles that we normally use, the space is a bit limited when there are larger amount of items that are bigger, so that means our persons in the warehouse [overseas] have a lot more work to do to ensure that everything gets to the airport to come here, but I wouldn’t say it is causing delays, just more work for the people in the warehouse overseas,” she told the Observer about the freight forwarding company’s experience since Hurricane Melissa.

She disclosed that an influx of generators has added to the processing time.

“The generators, they are coming in and they take up a lot of space, and it takes more time to process these items because you have to weigh them and get the measurements — other than if it were small packages or small boxes. We also need the invoice for those items, so it takes a little longer than if it were something with a lower value or lower weight,” said Griffiths.

She shared that AirDrop’s western locations were riddled with challenges in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but managed to keep operations running. The typical volume of customers that had dwindled has returned, with an increase in Christmas items, regular shipments, generators, and solar items post-Melissa. This, she said, is partly because of the Customs waiver on select items.

The Government of Jamaica granted a Customs duty and General Consumption Tax waiver on household generators not exceeding 5,000 watts imported for personal recovery after Hurricane Melissa. This exemption is in effect until December 31, 2025.

“We did a promotion also to help with the hurricane relief, so a lot of people leaned into the promotion and took the benefit of it, so that could have been one thing, too, that helped with our shipping trend going up again,” said Griffiths.

She added: “People are shipping in their trees, decorative items, and home items, so there are a few people who are still shipping for the holidays — and maybe not for Christmas but for events. We do have people who come to us and say, ‘Hey, just checking if the schedule is on time because I need this [item] for this event.’”

While the disaster has not stopped e-commerce, she said, one in four customers is requesting extensions of deadlines to collect their packages.

“Some persons may need extensions on their storage period because some may be out of the country or they are not able to come in, so with things like that we have to make certain exemptions in our policies — like extensions and authorising someone to pick up a package. Usually, the authorisation process would be done through e-mail, but not everyone has [Internet] service right now, so we kind of have to just use our discretion to give them the best services as possible,” said Griffiths.

She noted that AirDrop Shipping typically gives customers a month of free storage before charges apply, and liquidates uncollected items after 60 days.

ipCourier’s Lindsay said, while his company’s main locations are on the eastern side of the island, they work with a third-party company to transport goods to their customers in western Jamaica. He said in the immediate aftermath of Melissa, affected customers were purchasing recovery items such as generators, Starlink devices, and flashlights, but they are slowly returning to regular consumer items and clothing, with packages after Black Friday sales showing record numbers in shipment.

“People are still spending online; because their areas are devastated, their only choice of shopping is online because they can get all the things delivered to them, even if their local area doesn’t have it,” said Lindsay.

He explained that with his company, customers in western Jamaica cover shipping fees via bank transfers and have the items delivered to their door. To meet the demand he said the company has expanded its operations.

“We’re a data-driven organisation, and we saw the trajectory after the hurricane in terms of the purchasing pattern. We made adjustments in terms of personnel, the number of persons we have, and just overall storage. We communicated with our customers for them to know that we’re getting [into] the busy season, so we encourage them to make the effort to collect the items when they arrive,” he told the Observer.

Lindsay added that they have had minor issues with customers not signing waivers for relief items, but there have been no delays with airlines, sea freight, or Customs.

Jamaicans in western Jamaica are still shopping for the holiday season despite the disaster caused by Hurricane Melissa.

LINDSAY…people are still spending online (Photo: Joseph Wellington)