Patent ID: 7620583

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for processing shipment and return of a package containing items from a Sender to a Recipient, the method comprising the steps of: electronically storing package data, for the package, and including item data, for the items in the package, in a database, before shipment occurs; electronically retrieving shipment tracking data, for tracking shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return of one or more items of the items of the package from the Recipient to the Sender, from a shipping mechanism; electronically adding the shipment tracking data to the database; electronically correlating the package data in the database with the shipment tracking data for the package; electronically determining whether the package requires customs clearance and, if so, electronically generating the appropriate customs documentation or data transmission to a customs broker; permitting an authorized user to query the database for processing the shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and the return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one or more items of the items of the package; and rendering data for display to the authorized user, based on a query of the database for shipping parameters of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one or more items of the items of the package.