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TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: Beth3346 on May 25, 2021, 06:48:04 PM

Title: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on May 25, 2021, 06:48:04 PM
It's been over a month since I mailed a pony to Canada and the buyer still hasn't received it.

the last update was on April 19 and it just says "Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility." I'm not sure if i should just refund the buyer or wait. it wasn't a cheap pony so i don't want to just refund. is it normal for an item to take this long to get to Canada?
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Loa on May 25, 2021, 11:01:33 PM
Can you open any form of investigation?
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: nhal039 on May 26, 2021, 01:29:59 AM
I haven't posted to canada since covid but even before the pandemic parcels would take 9 weeks or so to arrive in canada, parcels anywhere else in the world would take 2-3 weeks.
Post to canada in my experience and alot of other kiwis experiences have taken forever. The good news is that all arrived.
I wouldn't be too paniced yet if I were you, I do understand how unsettling it is thou! I think it will arrive in the next few weeks
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: tailrustedtealeaf on May 26, 2021, 06:49:58 AM
You could try to open a lost mail request. I haven't shipped internationally in a bit, but it is rather slow going.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on May 26, 2021, 06:54:52 AM
USPS won’t let me open an inquiry since the shipping method is first class. My gut feeling is that it’s stuck at the border. I had a few packages fall off the radar for a week or so last summer. Then they started moving again. I’ll tell the buyer to give it a couple more weeks. I don’t want to miss the refund deadline if it doesn’t show up. EBay’s refund system changed when they ditched PayPal.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on May 26, 2021, 05:14:54 PM
First class, oh no!  This could take weeks, yeah :( 
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on May 26, 2021, 06:48:01 PM
First class, oh no!  This could take weeks, yeah :( 

:( i think i'm done with international shipping.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: kitkatvintage on May 27, 2021, 03:12:37 PM
International shipping both in & out of the US has been very slow for the last year due to the pandemic. Packages that took 2-4 weeks in the past can now take 1-4 months. If you're in the US and buying or selling internationally both buyer & seller need to be aware of potential delays. If your buyer is willing to be patient, the package should arrive eventually, but it can be very stressful on both parties not knowing how long the delay will be. :hug:
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on May 27, 2021, 03:47:32 PM
Well it was ... not cool... of the buyer to insist on first class.  :(  Shipping delays are well-known to Canadians, I hope they didn't want that shipping method so that the claim window could be extended :( 

I always, always pay for the Tracked, Insured, Premium shipping.  It costs an arm and a leg (usually the cost of the item again, plus 10%) but I don't think any of my pony friends have ever had to deal with me saying, "My package isn't here!" 
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Mewtwofan1 on May 27, 2021, 10:09:22 PM
At the start of the pandemic I had a dream castle shipped up here. It did indeed take a while (nearly two months) and I did have the same message you have, but eventually got here. If what the nice USPS lady told me last year still holds up, it’s that there are delays due to a combination of an influx of packages and less workers available to process them. And also mail to Canada is somehow cursed for a reason. I have no clue why.
Hopefully your buyer is understanding of the delays. Things move slow through snail mail, and bumps are bound to happen. I think giving it a bit more time before seriously looking into a refund/lost mail situation is a good idea.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on May 30, 2021, 08:13:05 AM
i finally saw a tracking update this morning. it looks like the package is in Chicago at the distribution center. so at least it isn't lost. hopefully it moves quickly now.

it does seem like items just get stuck in the backlog and fall off the radar for a while. it frustrates me that in the US all of the talk around the postal system issues revolves around amazon and voting. so after the election a lot of the talk around putting pressure on the administration to change the leadership in USPS died down. but it totally ignores that a lot of people rely on the postal system for their small businesses. and yes voting is important but that's a whole other topic.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Taffeta on June 22, 2021, 01:18:20 PM
I don't know about now, but pre-pandemic the Chicago centre was notorious for delaying and misdirecting parcels coming from the US to me here in the UK. Admittedly the one that sent my pony to Bangladesh and Dubai was NY, but there were a lot of parcels that went through Chicago that went to Canada and back or went all around the US (or just sat there for weeks.) It's kind of notorious.

BUT all those parcels ended up arriving safely. So I'm sure it will be fine.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on June 22, 2021, 01:56:48 PM
I forgot to post an update. The package did arrive safely. I’m taking a break from selling for a while. Hopefully they will fix the issues with USPS soon.
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: plushroo on June 26, 2021, 11:12:45 PM
I'm currently dealing with a buyer in Canada not receiving their item and it was mailed priority!
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: Beth3346 on June 27, 2021, 12:19:30 PM
it seems like a lot of packages traveling through chicago are taking a long time to get through customs. maybe there is a backlog?
Title: Re: Shipping to Canada - Buyer hasn't received item
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on July 01, 2021, 07:47:48 AM
Chicago and Memphis are the WORST.  Things get stuck there for daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays
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