Shifting tariffs have created a nightmare for UPS, as thousands of packages from overseas pile up at its hubs unable to clear the Trump administration's new customs requirements. So it's begun "disposing of" packages. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said a manager at one customs clearance company. “It’s totally unprecedented.”

Angry customers have been sharing horror stories of missing items, some with deep sentimental value and others worth thousands of dollars. One man who said he shipped a package from Japan in September was sent two separate messages informing him, "We're sorry, your package did not clear customs and have been removed from the UPS network. Per customs guidelines, it has been destroyed."