The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: ladygodiva on July 02, 2020, 02:04:06 AM
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Good morning, almost a month ago, I sent a certified package from Europe to the US, but it has not yet arrived and it cannot be followed up once it leaves the country of origin. I do not think it is lost, because it is certified.
Buyers from USA, are you taking a long time to receive the packages? Approximately how many days? Thanks
:D
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Did you try the USPS website? Whenever I send a package, the tracking on my local post company's website is no longer updated when the item leaves the country. So I have to go to the website of the postal service of whichever country I'm sending to, and usually the tracking ID works just fine! :)
International mail has been really unpredictable recently due to the pandemic. Since so many flights have been cancelled, it's entirely possible that your package has been sent via sea so it will take longer. For quite some time, our post would not even accept mail sent to countries outside Europe (except for the US and China). Before noticing this, I sent something to Canada and it got there eventually, it just took much longer than normally.
I wouldn't be worried yet but I'd check the USPS website nevertheless, if you haven't already done so. I hope you can track down your package or it gets delivered soon! Fingers crossed.
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This is my personal experience with international shipping these days:
I'm in Denmark. My parents were on holiday in Madeira in early March just before the world closed down. They sent me a postcard from there that I just got a couple of weeks ago. It was three months to reach me.
I participated in Crowning Glory's Flutter Pony photo contest. She sent something to all the participants but I still haven't received what she sent me. She's in the US and it's been almost two months since she sent it.
Shipping from the UK used to be delayed to but appear to be more normal again.
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:tumble:
Thanks!!
because there's the complicated mail service. In my imagination I thought he was sent by sea, but it may be that instead of plane. Regarding USPS, I've already had a decision to track the package, but without result, I've looked for other shipping locators to track it and nothing. I know the packages aren't lost, but the buyers are worried, and so am I.
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Shipping has been a bit sketchy these couple of months. It took an envelope around 3 months to get from the US to here :( With barely any update in the tracking status from USPS. Eventually everything got here, it just took very long!
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There are flights all across the world that are canceled. This is causing everything to get backed up. And on top of that, people all over are doing way more online shipping to reduce their exposure. It's pretty much a funnel effect. I've been waiting almost 3 months for one of my packages. (ETA: what luck, it arrived today).
I think courier services are able to keep somewhat normal when it comes to express shipping.
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Selling on eBay has been so stressful these last months. Luckily most buyers are understanding and patient, but I get a lot of angry messages because people think their items are taking too long to arrive.
One buyer opened a case and made eBay refund them the money for their item+shipping, less than a month after purchase. When tracking later showed that their item had arrived, they didn't respond to my messages. And eBay seems pretty useless in this case. I reported the buyer, but I don't think they did anything about it. They got to keep both the item and the money and I got no compensation. It doesn't help that on eBay the buyer has all the power. As a seller you can't do anything unless you have tracking that shows it's been delivered (which of course, can take some time to get right now).
If I point out to a buyer that there's a delay because of the pandemic, I often get a reply saying "well, I received a package from (insert country) and it only took three weeks!" and it drives me crazy. Like, yes, some international shipments are super delayed right now, but not all of them. It seems pretty random. I've had some shipments arrive within three weeks, while one took nearly three months (thank goodness I got a nice buyer on that one). But everything has arrived eventually.
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Im losing my patience more and more everyday, but then again it's not the seller's fault. I orderd a skywishes from spain about a month ago and she still hasn't arrived. We're moving by the end of this month and I'm seriously starting to worry that she might not arrive while I'm still living here. :cry:
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Im losing my patience more and more everyday, but then again it's not the seller's fault. I orderd a skywishes from spain about a month ago and she still hasn't arrived. We're moving by the end of next month and I'm seriously starting to worry that she might not arrive while I'm still living here. :cry:
Just do a change of address with the post office. I think it costs $1 if you do it online (probably free in person). They forward your mail for a decent amount of time.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Change-of-Address-The-Basics
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Shipping really is a nuisance right now. -_-
My personal experience is that Europe to US is better than US to Europe, but maybe that was just sheer dumb luck. I sent a package to the US a while ago (May), and that went pretty much painless, I think it took about three weeks?
The other way around hasn't been so great; I'm still waiting for packages from the US that were already shipped in early April... One has actually been moving today, it actually says "out for delivery" right now, but that seems too good to be true. XD (EDIT: OMG, it's actually here!)
Within Europe it seems to be fine, sort of. I received a package from Ireland within five days, and from the UK it takes about two weeks. :lookround:
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Im losing my patience more and more everyday, but then again it's not the seller's fault. I orderd a skywishes from spain about a month ago and she still hasn't arrived. We're moving by the end of next month and I'm seriously starting to worry that she might not arrive while I'm still living here. :cry:
I'm the one who sent you that package! Sure! -_-
Post Merge: July 02, 2020, 12:34:04 PM
Selling on eBay has been so stressful these last months. Luckily most buyers are understanding and patient, but I get a lot of angry messages because people think their items are taking too long to arrive.
One buyer opened a case and made eBay refund them the money for their item+shipping, less than a month after purchase. When tracking later showed that their item had arrived, they didn't respond to my messages. And eBay seems pretty useless in this case. I reported the buyer, but I don't think they did anything about it. They got to keep both the item and the money and I got no compensation. It doesn't help that on eBay the buyer has all the power. As a seller you can't do anything unless you have tracking that shows it's been delivered (which of course, can take some time to get right now).
If I point out to a buyer that there's a delay because of the pandemic, I often get a reply saying "well, I received a package from (insert country) and it only took three weeks!" and it drives me crazy. Like, yes, some international shipments are super delayed right now, but not all of them. It seems pretty random. I've had some shipments arrive within three weeks, while one took nearly three months (thank goodness I got a nice buyer on that one). But everything has arrived eventually.
That is what scares me, that they claim on ebay, that I have to return the money and then receive the package and keep the pony and the money.
Thinking seriously about canceling all shipments to usa.
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Just do a change of address with the post office. I think it costs $1 if you do it online (probably free in person). They forward your mail for a decent amount of time.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Change-of-Address-The-Basics
thank you! I'll wait a few more weeks and see if it doesn't come and try that. hopefully it does
I'm the one who sent you that package! Sure! -_-
Omg hi! I cant believe I had no idea. Yeah it's odd because I ordered a ploomette from france around the same time. She arrived within three weeks but like lilja said, not all international shipments are super delayed. Either way, by the looks of things I should be worried :(
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Just do a change of address with the post office. I think it costs $1 if you do it online (probably free in person). They forward your mail for a decent amount of time.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Change-of-Address-The-Basics
thank you! I'll wait a few more weeks and see if it doesn't come and try that. hopefully it does
I'm the one who sent you that package! Sure! -_-
Omg hi! I cant believe I had no idea. Yeah it's odd because I ordered a ploomette from france around the same time. She arrived within three weeks but like lilja said, not all international shipments are super delayed. Either way, by the looks of things I should be worried :(
You don't have anything to worry about. Just be patient. If it comes later, then just inform the post office about your move. It's very easy to set up, and I think it's good for a year.
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/spain.htm
^ here is USPS information about incoming/outcoming packages to Spain.
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Thank you so much for answering and helping to clear up doubts. ^.^
I've canceled all the sales to the U.S., I know it doesn't seem fair, but in the short and medium term I think it's the best thing. At least until the shipping situation improves.
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of course! all I can do now is wait I guess
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US customs are a mess right now, and have been since the start of the pandemic. I had a package sent from Greece in the end of April. It arrived in US customs on May 26th, and didn't move again until July 3rd! :blink: I've talked to a few friends who have had lengthy delays with US customs over the last few months, as well. At this point, I'm trying to avoid any international buying & selling until the mail is more reliable. :huh:
For people still shipping to & from the US, it may be worth looking into shipping options that don't go through USPS (such as DHL, UPS, FedEx) if those options are available. I did successfully receive an international package via UPS without a delay.
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I'm not going to sell the United States anymore until the situation improves. I know it'll improve the situation, but at the moment I'd rather wait.
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Yeah, the mail system is a bit of a mess right now between countries, so it's best to wait until planes and things get back into a more normal routine. My mom sent me an Anniversary card from the US back in April, I just got it the other day. Took 3 months to get here! lol! Luckily, it wasn't anything important. ;)
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3 months for a card, wow! I shipped a pony up to France and it took about 4 weeks?
But then I shipped a plushie to New Zealand back before this all started and that only took 6 days! International postage is somethin' else.
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Just want to chime in here from Germany to US took over a month using a supposed "fast" service with DHL...don't even get me started on prices and for now I am actually just happy that panda_chan has agreed to hold onto some other German ponies for me for when things are normal shipping again
so yeah, for now - crossing the pond as to UK to US for me has been the normal 2-3 weeks but forget the EU/US shipping right now I don't blame any EU member that is just now saying forget it
oh and I am about 2months waiting for ponies from argentina and an ebay package from the phillapines that I am also pretty sure will take about that long and last with all the mess with Hong Kong/China it's been an average of 2 months also
so... yeah that's been my experience that nothing is lost = just seems to take forever
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I had thought about sending an urgent package or using UPS or DHL, but it is not worth it, it is much more expensive and I am sure it will take more or less the same. This is like when you return to the city on vacation and you find all the collapsed roads, you try to turn around or take a shortcut and you find that there is also a traffic jam there.
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I had thought about sending an urgent package or using UPS or DHL, but it is not worth it, it is much more expensive and I am sure it will take more or less the same. This is like when you return to the city on vacation and you find all the collapsed roads, you try to turn around or take a shortcut and you find that there is also a traffic jam there.
I wouldn't trust DHL for speed even if there wasn't a pandemic
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I agree on that, DHL isn't faster. They are most of the time cheaper but not faster. Even for national packages. Shipping costs to the USA did increase a lot more with them.
My DHL shop usually offers DPD and UPS too but since the pandemic they stopped offering the shipping service.
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I just wanted to say that skywishes arrived today. (tracking still hasn't updated) It took a little over a month but totally worth the wait. thank you ladygodiva!
https://imgur.com/a/UnVzQsx
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yay exciting!
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I just wanted to say that skywishes arrived today. (tracking still hasn't updated) It took a little over a month but totally worth the wait. thank you ladygodiva!
https://imgur.com/a/UnVzQsx
I am very happy! I was worried if there was no time and you had to change your house, I am glad that everything went well. I know that certified packages are not lost. What I have remembered is that the packages are sent with tracking from Spain, the tracking "is lost" once it leaves Spain. It is not that it is lost, but that this information is not public, but the postal company in its computer systems does have that information, but not the facilitate.
Ok I will continue shipping with the Spanish postal transport, DHL and UPS is too expensive for my clients. And if they do not give good service ... It is clear to me. Thank you for answering me :)