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Adam Munich

Mon Oct 04 2010, 07:59PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

So me and Freitsu worked out a trade for my x-ray tube, a laser for the tube. I am supposed to sen d it when I get the laser. He sent it more than 2 weeks ago though, and it seems to have gone missing. When I checked the tracking number it says "Foreign International Dispatch." Not sure what this meant, we both asked our post offices. According to his postal service it left his country about a week and a half ago. According to my postal service it never arrived in the US. WTF did the plane carrying it crash or something?

USPS notifies you when your package is being looked at by customs, and I haven't received any notice. The laser was also dissembled into about 7 pieces, and I don't think the customs worker would know that it's a laser anyway.

So who has gone through this before, and what are the chances of either of us getting the package back? The postal service is very incompetent IMO...

modularduck

Mon Oct 04 2010, 08:18PM

Registered Member #3094 Joined: Tue Aug 10 2010, 03:12AM
Location: portland, or
Posts: 30

Grenadier wrote ...

USPS notifies you when your package is being looked at by customs, and I haven't received any notice. The laser was also dissembled into about 7 pieces, and I don't think the customs worker would know that it's a laser anyway.

i have had similar things happen when shipping between portugal and the west coast of the us, for me it was the customs in potugal that held things up on the "export" side of things but eventually it always made it, sometime it took up to 6 weeks even with air mail. sucks.

IamSmooth

Mon Oct 04 2010, 11:32PM

Registered Member #190 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 12:00AM
Location:
Posts: 1567

I don't know the value of what you sent, but when my wife sells jewelry that she makes to people in Italy, they have it shipped DHL because many times it gets "lost".

Bjørn

Mon Oct 04 2010, 11:50PM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

Sometimes by accident or because of insufficient markings things end up on a boat instead of a plane and it can take a really long time. My record is a letter that took more than 3 months to arrive.

If the customs office find the packet interesting it may take forever and it may disappear without a trace, it depends on the "traditions" in each country.

If there is a problem with the address label it can also take months before they get around to figuring it out.

There is always a chance that the packet will surface.

Steve Conner

Tue Oct 05 2010, 08:20AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

Yes, did you send it air or surface? Surface mail can take months, it just gets flung into a cargo ship.

Adam Munich

Tue Oct 05 2010, 10:28AM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

I didn't send anything yet, I'm still waiting for his package which he sent air.

Chris Russell

Tue Oct 05 2010, 12:35PM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

I've had packages get hung up in customs with no notification before. There was no tracking information after it left the country of origin, seemed to be missing for a few weeks, and then suddenly appeared at my doorstep bearing a customs inspection sticker. Hopefully it appears soon.

quicksilver

Tue Oct 05 2010, 03:50PM

Registered Member #1408 Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679

This REALLY depends on the country of origin, the customs list, any restrictions on international trade goods, & several other facts unknown.
It could get held up to 90days with no notice (our end) but that's rare. It generally get's held in inspection and if opened to identify contents a notice is usually sent out that it's in Customs.
The export country is a total unknown. They may have NO outgoing notification procedure.
If it's an EU country, they generally have the same procedures as the US.

If you really want to put an end to guessing contact US Customs and file w/ them (all info & dates). It's very possible it's sitting in a entry area somewhere in the US becasue it can't be identified & it MAY appear to be something that has some watch-list agenda OR it could be as simple as a routing error as someone pointed out. I have gotten several things from all over the world and if they could I.D. what it was I got it pretty fast.

Conundrum

Tue Oct 05 2010, 05:00PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

i've had stuff from the UK delayed by nearly three weeks, for reasons unknown.

Expect delays if the parcel is labelled "Laser *anything", there have been clampdowns recently due to a few idiots misusing green pointers

-A
EL phosphor kits and other stuff for sale, PM me.

Adam Munich

Tue Oct 05 2010, 08:28PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Thanks for the stories. Maybe there's some hope yet.

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