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TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: Loa on March 04, 2018, 02:40:40 PM

Title: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on March 04, 2018, 02:40:40 PM

Hi everyone,
I bought something off Etsy and to save on shipping, I requested it to be sent to my US mailbox.
However, Etsy got itself really confused, and sent the seller a garbled address reading:

My name
American Street Address
American Street Address
PORTLAND 97203
New Zealand

You might see the issue here!!
The tracking details say it is currently at Los Angeles International Airport heading out.

Spoiler

Mar 3, 2018 9:43pm  LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES Departed
Mar 2, 2018 6:04pm  CHICAGO, UNITED STATES Departed
Mar 2, 2018 12:46pm  CHICAGO, UNITED STATES Arrived
Mar 2, 2018 3:29am  ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), US Processed Through Facility
Mar 1, 2018 1:09pm  CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER, US Departed USPS Regional Facility
Mar 1, 2018 11:18am  CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER, US Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
Mar 1, 2018 7:36am  CHICAGO IL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER, US Departed USPS Regional Facility
Mar 1, 2018 4:10am  CHICAGO IL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER, US Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
Mar 1, 2018 2:55am  GARY, IN 46403, US Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
Mar 1, 2018 1:09am  ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS), US Arrived at Facility
Feb 28, 2018 4:52pm  GARY, IN 46403, US Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending
Feb 28, 2018 6:59am  GARY, IN 46403, US Shipping Label Creat

Do I even guess where this could be??

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Taffeta on March 04, 2018, 04:10:46 PM

My experience with Chicago is that they don't really know the rest of the world outside North America exists. They always send my parcels to Canada because of the post code, and that's when they say UK on them. It always takes a while for them to click.

It may be that if the rest of the details are right aside the New Zealand, it will make it safely. I've also had the same sorting office send a parcel meant for Canada to California because they misread the CA and not anything that came after it.

So you have a better chance of it ending at your US address IF the other details (aside the country) are right. But if they can't deliver it it will likely go back to the seller. Have you warned them of the possibility??

Also...if the seller knows they're shipping to a US address, they're surely going to notice NZ on the address and either ask you about it or assume that it's a mistake and leave it off? After all, the shipping cost would be different for the two locations, so if you paid postage to the US, probably it's going to the US...?

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: northstar3184 on March 04, 2018, 04:52:28 PM

Wait, I'm not seeing Los Angeles International Airport. I see that it says Los Angeles, but no mention of the airport.

Los Angeles and Portland are both on the West Coast, so unless I missed something, maybe it's still going to Portland and the post office has disregarded where the address says New Zealand.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Marlin on March 04, 2018, 07:02:43 PM

If your parcel is going where I think it is going (I have a similar US address for shipping that I use) then hopefully it is fairly obvious destination and your package is on route from LA.

I had to add my US shipping address to paypal recently for a private purchase and it did a similar glitch, citing NZ as the country! Luckily I was able to contact my seller to give them the correct details! I hope your parcel makes it ok.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on March 04, 2018, 10:37:18 PM

Quote from: northstar3184 on March 04, 2018, 04:52:28 PM

Wait, I'm not seeing Los Angeles International Airport. I see that it says Los Angeles, but no mention of the airport.

Los Angeles and Portland are both on the West Coast, so unless I missed something, maybe it's still going to Portland and the post office has disregarded where the address says New Zealand.

Except the scan just now said:

Quote

Your item departed a transfer airport in INTERNATIONAL, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND on March 5, 2018 at 12:32 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: northstar3184 on March 05, 2018, 12:54:49 AM

Oh gees.... What a headache.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: banditpony on March 05, 2018, 04:33:43 AM

I ran into this sort of thing before. I wanted to send something to a friend in Poland.

I can't remember much about it, except for I thought it stemmed down to wherever you made your paypal account is what country you set it up for. I think it's there so hackers don't go in and send items to another country.

https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/article/Can-I-change-my-PayPal-address-to-another-country-FAQ1434

I had just told my etsy seller the address I needed to send it to, and she must of hand wrote the address.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Taffeta on March 05, 2018, 07:30:24 AM

Quote from: Loa on March 04, 2018, 10:37:18 PM

Quote from: northstar3184 on March 04, 2018, 04:52:28 PM

Wait, I'm not seeing Los Angeles International Airport. I see that it says Los Angeles, but no mention of the airport.

Los Angeles and Portland are both on the West Coast, so unless I missed something, maybe it's still going to Portland and the post office has disregarded where the address says New Zealand.

Except the scan just now said:

Quote

Your item departed a transfer airport in INTERNATIONAL, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND on March 5, 2018 at 12:32 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

Sigh. That's annoying. In that case, I guess it maybe going back to the seller when it doesn't find an address in NZ. Strange, though, since the seller would surely have noticed...? Or someone would have noticed the fact the shipping wasn't enough to take it to NZ?

At least you can track its progress, but I admit it isn't very reassuring to see that on the tracking detail.

Re-reading that again it is JUST possible that it's being sent back to the US already, as it says it departed Auckland. If there's no way to trace where it's actually going in NZ, it seems hard for it to be travelling around between the islands or any particular city, so perhaps Auckland has rejected it and is sending it back?

I had this happen once with a parcel to Holland that went via China and it did say it was departing Beijing airport en route to the destination but what was actually happening is that it was being sent to Holland from Beijing airport sorting office. So either it's going back to the seller, or it's going to Portland. If it shows up as back in the US, I'd get your seller to contact the USPS about it, as I think it would have to be them rather than you.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on March 05, 2018, 07:44:43 AM

Oh fun!  :( 

You think that the seller would have noticed this error on the label before shipping it...  New Zealand is not a state and you wouldn't be asking for her to use your US address if you weren't in another country!
Gah.  At least it's tracked.  I hope that you are able to get it shipped correctly to your US address without too much hassle (or shipping costs...)

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: nhal039 on March 06, 2018, 11:46:23 AM

I would let youshop know and nzpost on this side. Should the parcel arrive in nz then nzpost will have details for you record. Nzpost here does not talk directly to youshop as one would assume they do so notify both

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on April 18, 2018, 06:58:39 PM

WELL it gets stranger.
NZ Post gave up and declared it missing.
This is the current tracking:

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

IT'S IN THE NETHERLANDS.
WHY?!

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: nhal039 on April 19, 2018, 01:24:36 AM

Did you question NZ post as to what happened to it when it arrived in NZ?

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on April 19, 2018, 02:07:25 AM

Quote from: nhal039 on April 19, 2018, 01:24:36 AM

Did you question NZ post as to what happened to it when it arrived in NZ?

Yup. And they officially, said they had no idea.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: nhal039 on April 19, 2018, 02:37:13 AM

I just wrote a long winded post that I am now re-editing as it didn't suit your situation. That's really strange what happened to your item I hope it's not lost for real in a time travel abiss

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Taffeta on April 19, 2018, 08:26:18 AM

Ok. That is a very weird development. Unless it is a stop off point en route BACK to NZ, since there's no absolute direct flights (though I do know that doesn't make sense, geographically, after my experience with Heathrow nothing surprises me.)

The tracking suggests it is bouncing back and forth between US and NZ because nobody in the depots of either are smart enough to read the label and use common sense about where it should be going.

So Netherlands may be a stop off point for some reason. Unless they're trying that because Netherlands also begins with an N and they've run out of ideas? (could equally be an alphabetic system error as I imagine Netherlands and New Zealand are close together in a computerised dropdown list).

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Ringlets on April 25, 2018, 04:24:29 AM

:blink:  wow. :dizzy:
Which courier has got it now Loa? any further progress?  :what:  if you have that tracking number they really ought to be able to see where it is (hopefully not still in the Netherlands!!!) and get it sent to the correct address if you call them  (hopefully you'll have better luck than with the last NZ PO person you spoke to! ). I tracked a parcel from the US  that was supposed to be coming to me but was lost in transit/sent to wrong address by calling the courier and it did arrive safely in the end.
 If all else fails it should get sent back to the seller and they can re-send it with the correct address, but that can literally take a few months :yikes:

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on May 15, 2018, 03:58:06 PM

Update!

It's been found, and it got sent - correctly, to my USA address. So it's now on its way to me!

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Taffeta on May 15, 2018, 04:04:09 PM

Quote from: Loa on May 15, 2018, 03:58:06 PM

Update!

It's been found, and it got sent - correctly, to my USA address. So it's now on its way to me!

Yay! Someone in the postal service somewhere deserves a cookie!

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: tulagirl on May 16, 2018, 05:12:01 AM

Wow that is fantastic news.

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on May 16, 2018, 07:50:13 AM

*imagines small kiwi paddling across Pacific Ocean, holding parcel in beak*

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Taffeta on May 16, 2018, 12:41:33 PM

Quote from: lovesbabysquirmy on May 16, 2018, 07:50:13 AM

*imagines small kiwi paddling across Pacific Ocean, holding parcel in beak*

XD

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: NightGliderSA on May 17, 2018, 02:27:05 AM

Thank goodness it has been found! Give them a cookie indeed! Please let us know when this very well traveled package finally arrives  :)

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Ringlets on May 18, 2018, 05:09:57 AM

*sigh of relief*  :whew:  :bigups: 

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on May 22, 2018, 02:47:44 PM

They arrived, complete and unharmed!!

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: northstar3184 on May 22, 2018, 04:27:53 PM

Yay!

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: NightGliderSA on May 23, 2018, 01:45:21 AM

Hooray! That is amazing news! (happy dance)

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: bluerose9978 on May 23, 2018, 05:44:21 AM

Wow! Are there any stamps on the package that indicate where its travels took it?

Title: Re: Etsy package possibly going astray?
Post by: Loa on May 23, 2018, 02:55:10 PM

No unfortunately.